Underneath The Tree
by TStabler
Summary: Christmastime is here; time for presents & parties, holly & garland, & time for wishes to come true. The detectives of the Sixteenth Precinct's Special Victims Unit will realize, this year, that not all presents come from a store. The gifts that mean the most can't be found underneath the tree or inside of a red bag, they come from the most unexpected places. EO, ONE-SHOT SERIES.
1. Baby, Tell Me

**A/N: More often than not, the Christmas gift we cherish the most isn't from a box, or a bag, and doesn't come from underneath the tree.**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and all related plot/characters originally belong to Dick Wolf. This story, words, and dialogue are mine. © TStabler **

At times like this, she often wished she had grown up in a small, quiet town. One where everyone knew everyone else, where there were festivals and gatherings for a million little reasons. A place with Christmas pageants and town meetings, small cafes and family-owned businesses, where friends were considered family and family was everything. It had always been the kind of place she'd wanted to raise her kids, but when she gave up on the idea of having kids, she gave up the dream of that small, quiet town.

Fuck.

She'd given up both too soon, apparently, and the gods were having a laugh at her expense now.

She blew into her hands and rubbed them together as she raced through the crowded streets, eager to get where she was going before fate dealt her another card she couldn't play. Her head was pounding almost as hard as her heart, and when the building she was aiming for came into view, both stopped altogether. "Fuck," she spat out loud. Rolling her eyes, she took the stairs two by two and pushed a messenger out of the way to get through the doors faster.

She ignored the chirps of "Happy Holidays" and "Morning, Detective," waving each unheard greeting off with a general nod. The line for the elevator was long, filled with nameless faces, unrecognized people blurring together in a sea of brown and beige and black and blue. She tugged the woolen hat off of her head as she bound up the stairs to her left, and when she reached the fourth floor landing, she took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and pushed the door open as she prayed to God, Jesus, and Santa Claus for something to fucking go right.

As soon as she put one foot out into the hallway of the Special Victims Unit, she yelped in surprise with wide eyes as someone grabbed her arm and pulled her back into the stairwell. She turned with a clenched fist, ready to strike, but his lips on hers mellowed her fury. She sank fast, melting against him, the frigidness of the New York winter fading as the heat rose from her toes and a fire began to burn in her belly.

She pulled away from him and stared blankly, blinking, until she finally said, "Good morning."

He chuckled and rubbed his nose against her. "You can say that again," he quipped with a wink. "God, I've been waiting for you for over an hour, pacing back and forth between here and the elevator, thinking of something clever to say other than…"

"Why?" she asked, and she shivered slightly as he brushed a few unmelted snowflakes off of her shoulders.

His answer was another kiss. "Because I…" he stopped talking. His eyes filled with tears and he sniffled once as his hands traveled down the front of her body to rest on her stomach. "I'm not letting you work, not today, not now. You volunteer for this shift, Christmas Eve, every year, because you think everyone else has family and something to celebrate, well, ya know what? So do you. We do!" He kissed her again, slowly, deeply, and cupped her belly again as if telling her he already knew the secret she planned to keep. "Baby," he whispered, "I told Cragen you weren't coming in, we need to…"

"Hey, woah, what are you…" her protests were cut off again by another scorching kiss. Again, she fell into him and in the back of her mind, she realized the truth: his power over her is why she was in this mess, she fucking knew it. She pushed him back again, slowly opened her eyes, and tilted her head. "How did...how did you know?"

His smile widened and he brushed his lips over hers as he whispered, "Shit, baby, I knew it happened." He laughed and pulls her tighter to him. "No, I, uh...I saw the test. You didn't exactly hide it, ya know," he teased. "I got up before you, went to brush my teeth, and…" he shook his head. "Merry fucking Christmas. Best gift anyone's ever given me." He kissed her softly and felt her shiver against him.

She ran her arms down his back and as she pulled away again, she gave a soft sniff, trying not to cry. "I didn't...I didn't know if you…"

"I want as many as you'll give me," he cut in, bright eyes glistening with fresh tears. "And I know, uh...well, that's what today is about. You and me, the other kids...a road trip. Connecticut, maybe? Spend Christmas in Hartford? There's this sweet little town not too far from…"

"What are you talking about?" She tilted her head and moved one hand from his body to brush a falling tear off of her cheek.

"We talked about this," he reminded her, looping one hand around her neck, keeping the other over her stomach. "You told me that you want to raise your kids in a place that was safe, wholesome, quaint and quiet. I told you if I was the one raising them with you, you would." He saw the look on her face and he kissed her again. "They have cops in Connecticut, Liv. Or...I mean it's only a two hour drive."

"Two and a half," she whispered, amazed at his words, at what he was offering.

"The way I drive?" He winked and kissed her again, and nudged her down the steps.

She looked at him over her shoulder. "You said the other kids? El, we can't move them to an entirely different…"

"Kathy's moving to Florida with her boyfriend," he interrupted, trying to get her to move faster. "That's, what, nineteen hours away? I really don't think she'd care about another two." He kissed the back of her head and whispered, "We get home fast enough...we'll still have some time alone to...celebrate." He wagged his eyebrows at her. "Kids don't get home until four."

She grinned back at him and leaned in for another kiss, remembering her silent prayer, and realizing it had been answered, the day before Christmas, in the most perfect way possible.

**A/N: A short and sweet beginning to this year's series! Leave a review and let me know your Christmas wishes for these lovebirds! **


	2. Saint Nick

**A/N: Even though Christmas presents are expected, they often come from the most unexpected places. **

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and all related plot/characters originally belong to Dick Wolf. This story, words, and dialogue are mine. © TStabler **

"No," Dickie Stabler rolled his eyes as he slammed his locker shut. "For the ninth time, I'm at my dad's, and we have family plans. So no way will he let me throw a party!"

The young man beside him sighed and slapped Dickie on the back. "Your stepmother gonna be there?" He wagged his eyebrows a bit. "She is hot, man."

"Geez, Nick," Dickie made a face. "Can you not call her hot?" He swallowed back the urge to agree with his friend. "They're not married, yet, but ya know, since she lives with us and all, she will probably be there," Dickie intoned sarcastically, a habit he picked up from the woman he'd been mentioning. "I thought you were going to your mom's, anyway. Skiing in Bucks County? What happened to that?"

Nick shrugged and looked down at his feet. "Ya know how you said you hate being at your mom's because she's never there, and you have to listen to your sister?"

Dickie nodded, tilting his head. He knew enough from his parents being cops to know that the conversation was heading south. "Man, what are you about to tell me?" He threw his book bag over his shoulder and shoved his hands into the pockets of his uniform pants.

Nick took a breath and said, "At least...when your mom's not there...someone else is." He shook his head and said, "Mom bailed on me. Said she didn't have time to come pick me up and wouldn't be home on Christmas anyway. My dad already made plans with his girlfriend's family. He's flying out tonight."

"Dude," Dickie said softly, "I'm so sorry, man."

With another shrug of his shoulders, Nick elbowed Dickie in the side and tried to smile. "Hey, it's okay. I'm used to being alone, ya know?" He saw the confusion etched on Dickie's face. "You know how it is, right? Bouncing back and forth between parents, both of them too busy to even notice which house you're in?"

"Not...not really," Dickie, shifting his bookbag to his other shoulder, shook his head. "My dad...he's awesome. And Liv…," he paused, trying to think of his life before Olivia Benson came along, and he couldn't. With a warm smile, he continued, "Liv was part of the family before they even started dating."

"I noticed," Nick spoke, holding up a finger. "You gave her a nickname? You like her enough to give her a nickname?"

"Uh, no," Dickie turned up his lips and shook his head. "I mean, yes, I like her. I love her. But I didn't give her that nickname. She was always 'Liv,' it's how...how my dad introduced us to her. Besides, I call her 'Mom' at home; it's just...well, around other people, it gets confusing. They don't know which Mom I'm talking about."

"Mom?" Nick raised an eyebrow. "I won't even call my dad's girlfriend by her first name." He shuddered at the thought of one day having to call the woman he hated any form of 'mother,' anytime soon.

Dickie laughed again, nudging Nick further down the hall. "She always treated us all like her own kids, so now...it's just...more official. She's as good as my Mom. My dad just needs to grow a pair and ask her the question we all already have the answer to, ya know?"

"Guess," Nick mumbled, but he didn't know. The truth was, he wasn't even sure if his father's current girlfriend was the same one from a week ago, so he had no idea what Dickie meant. "How does your mom feel about that? I mean, um, your mother."

The change in topic signaled a shift in Dickie's mood. His smile faded, and he walked with more substantial steps as he neared the school's doors. "Probably the same way she felt about it when my folks were still married. We only get two weekends a month with my mother, and the whole time, when she's around, anyway, she does nothing but complain about my dad and insult Liv."

"Yikes," Nick chuckled. "Still. At least you spend enough time with her for you to know that."

"Trust me," Dickie said with a huff, "Being left alone with Maureen in charge is a lot better than spending any time with my mother."

"You like it better at your dad's, then? I bet he's gone a lot, too, with his job." Nick shoved his hands further into his pockets, hoping for some kind of camaraderie with Dickie. "And Liv's his partner, that's gotta mean you're left more than you would be at your mom's, huh?"

Dickie furrowed his brow at his friend. "Not really," he said. He narrowed his eyes and tilted his head. "In fact, uh, my dad and Liv...they never leave us alone. Even when they have to work, they always make sure someone else is there. My uncle Joey, usually. They make sure they're home before we go to bed, and if not, they're there for family breakfasts in the morning. They'll never miss dinner and breakfast back to back...I mean, unless they can't help it." He looked at Nick and shrugged sadly. "Work."

"You lucked out," Nick scoffed. "Most kids like us, ya know, the product of a broken home? Not too many of us get an actual family out of the deal."

"Nick, man," Dickie chuckled. "Like I said, for as long as I can remember...my family has been us, my dad...and Liv." He shrugged and looked around the hallway, watching his classmates heading out to waiting cars and buses. "I should go, I think my sister left twenty minutes ago, and if she gets home that long before me, I'll never hear the end of it." He stared at the front doors of Saint Dominic's with excitement in his eyes.

Nick did the same, only with more sadness in his expression. "Well, I guess I'm on my own, then...when my dad gets on that flight, I'm…"

"No," Dickie slammed his hand down onto his friend's shoulder. "You're spending Christmas with the Stablers." He grinned at his friend, and the two twelve-year-olds ran through the door that would take set them free into their holiday break.

After a quick stop at Nick's for a bag of clothes, and a sincere phone call home, the two made it to Queens just as the snow began to fall harder. Dickie ran into the house first. He kicked the snow out of the tracks of his boots before stepping off the doormat and yelled into the room. "Dad? Mom?"

Nick followed Dickie's example and wiped off his feet as he looked around at the living room. The tree took up an entire corner, a full blue fir with tinsel and lights, more ornaments than he could count, and more presents underneath it than he'd ever seen before in his life. His gaze traveled over to the fireplace, where stockings were hung with obvious care, each one with a name emblazoned in silver glitter. He swallowed a lump that had formed in his throat, his eyes moving over framed photos and billowing pine garland, which veered off of the wall and wound around the railing of the spiraling oak staircase. He blinked away the tears that he didn't realize had welled up and cleared his throat. "Nice digs, pal."

"Yeah, as soon as my mother moved out, my dad and Liv redecorated. You should see the bedrooms." He stared up at the ceiling as he yelled louder, "Dad! Mom? Lizzie? Hello?" He looked back over at Nick, confused. "Where is everyone?"

Elliot Stabler came running down the stairs, followed closely by his girlfriend, Olivia. "Hey, kid!" He hugged Dickie tightly, and then he turned to the other young man as he smoothed out his red cotton shirt. "Nick," he said, holding out a hand, "Welcome, welcome, uh...Dickie, take your friend upstairs and get changed. We're going…"

"To Grandma's, I know," Dickie rolled his eyes. "Is Great Aunt Eileen gonna be there? I think my cheeks are still bruised from Thanksgiving." He cautiously rubbed the side of his face and looked up at Olivia, hopefully.

Olivia laughed as she grabbed his hand. "Afraid so, kiddo," she said, "But so will your cousins, and Uncle Joey's bringing his Guitar Hero."

"Awesome!" Dickie turned fast and slapped Nick in the arm, signaling him to follow as he bounded up the steps.

Nick made no move to go, though, and instead, he swallowed hard again and turned toward Olivia and Elliot. "I don't…" he bit his lip and scratched behind his ear. "I can go home, I don't mind being by myself. I've done it before, I don't want to intrude on your family."

"I've known you since you were in diapers, Nicky," Elliot said gently, laying a hand on the young man's shoulder. "You and Dickie grew up together, and your father's one of my best friends. You aren't intruding on our family, you're part of it." He knelt down slightly to look into Nick's eyes. "You make sure that you always remember...when you feel like you don't have any place to go, you always have a home here, with us."

Nick sniffled, Elliot's words unexpected and his emotions even more so, and he nodded. "Thanks, Mister Stabler." He shot a look over at Olivia. "You, too, um...Missus..." he paused, and when no one corrected him, he went on. "Missus Stabler." He smiled at her and then turned to run up the stairs to Dickie's bedroom, eager to get out of his uniform.

Elliot turned to Olivia, ran his hands down the sides of her red wool sweater dress, and pulled her close. "Why are you looking at me like that? Not that I don't fucking love when you look at me like that," he teased, and then slowly kissed her.

She looped her arms around him and deepened the kiss for a moment, and then pulled back and dragged her nails down the nape of his neck. "You are incredible," she whispered, dropping her head to his.

"Nah," he simpered and rocked her in his arms, "I just remember what is what to feel like absolute shit during the holidays. My mother was always pulling some stunt or another, my dad was working to avoid dealing with it, my sisters went to parties on yachts with boys who didn't know how old they were, and Joey...drank in the church basement with Carl Grading and Lyle Waskowski until they didn't remember their names." He spun Olivia around, dancing without music. "They all just...forgot about me. I figured if I could keep another kid from feeling alone on Christmas...or ever again... I would gladly do it."

She smiled at him as one of her hands swooped up his back again. "Just when I think I can't possibly love you any more than I already do, you go and make me fall in love with you all over again." She kissed the end of his nose. "You have no idea how amazing you are."

"Of course, I do," he said with a hint of arrogance as he winked playfully. "I just, uh, would like you to know that it's because of you." He watched her eyes screw together and he chuckled. "I'm serious." He kissed her lips quickly. "You changed me," he told her. "You make me happier, which makes me nicer, and you made me realize that this life, family, these moments...are so fucking special, and I want to live every single one of them in pure fucking technicolor." He leaned over and dropped a small kiss to the spot of skin just above her cleavage. "With you."

She moaned softly and then slipped two fingers under his chin and lifted his head. "You didn't correct Nick when he…"

"Neither did you," he interrupted, pulling her backward until they were directly in the center of the foyer. "What does that tell you?"

She grinned and looked up, spotting the mistletoe hanging above their heads. She laughed and kissed him, and then said, "Tells me that you putting a ring on my finger won't really change a damn thing." She felt him squeeze her tighter. "Ask me."

"What?" He stopped moving, his heart stopped beating, and he shot his eyes toward the staircase, seeing his kids and Nick lined up, leaning against the banister. "Ask you?" he repeated, dropping his eyes.

She worked a hand into his dark denim pocket to grab the box she knew was hiding in its depth. "Ask me," she said again, a whisper, slipping the box into his trembling palm. She looked into his eyes, seeing nothing but unadulterated love gleaming back at her.

Shaking, he flipped open the top of the box. He heard his kids gasp, and one voice he usually didn't hear said, "This is so cool." He smiled at Nick's words and nodded in silent agreement, and then held the ring out to Olivia. "It's not Christmas yet," he told her.

"It's the day before," she shot at him, and she prodded him with her knee. "El," she whispered, and when he looked into her eyes, she mouthed, "Ask me."

"Liv, will you…" his voice broke, the emotions hitting him hard, and he caught a glimpse of his children and Nick, all with hopeful faces and bright smiles, but the look in Nick's eyes gave him what he needed to go on. "Liv, will you marry me?"

There was a single, loud clap from the stairs, Nick more excited than he felt he had the right to be, but it made Olivia smile as she held back tears and nodded. "Yes," she said, "Yes."

Elliot slipped the ring on her shivering finger and then kissed her with everything he had.

From the spiral staircase, the kids watched, crying and laughing at once, and Nick wiped away one of his own tears. He had never witnessed two people so willing to be with each other, so ready to stay with each other for life, and he felt as though watching it was the best gift he'd ever been given. "That was awesome. Why am I crying?" he asked himself with a sniffle and a laugh.

Dickie, beside him, hooked an arm around his friend's shoulders. "Told you," he said as he wiped his eyes. "You're spending Christmas with the Stablers."

Nick grinned. It hadn't even really started yet, but it was already the greatest Christmas of his life.

**A/N: Tomorrow...some of our characters end up on the naughty list...and it's oh, so very nice. **


	3. Nice to be Naughty

**A/N: Sometimes, the naughtiest people are the ones who get the greatest gifts. **

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and all related plot/characters originally belong to Dick Wolf. This story, words, and dialogue are mine. © TStabler **

The smell of the ballroom lingered around her, no matter where she went. The stench of hard liquor and cigar smoke, expensive perfume and cheap cologne, and someone pulled a muscle at work because there were top notes of the unmistakable fragrance of Ben Gay. She tried to ignore as many people as she could, situating herself in a far corner near the huge tree, but staring at the red and white twinkling lights wasn't doing anything but giving her a migraine.

She didn't even know why she was here.

That was a lie. There were three reasons she was at this mindless, work function. One, people expected her to be here because she was a highly decorated detective in a high-profile unit. Two, the rest of her unit would have harassed her relentlessly until New Year's Eve if she didn't show up. Three, he was supposed to be here, tonight, with her. With her. Out, in public, without fear, guilt, or shame, for the first time since his divorce was finalized.

So far, no one from her unit other than her captain was here, so her reasons, as they were, were invalid. "Son of a bitch," she spat to herself, staring as the angel on the top of the tree rotated and moved its wings. "Merry Fucking Christmas," she breathed.

"Olivia," someone called, but the voice didn't register enough for her to turn around. Instead, she simply grunted and said, "Yeah?"

The man who'd beckoned to her smirked and moved closer, holding a bourbon on the rocks in one hand while the other slipped around her waist. The action made her jump, and she turned around quickly in his arms. "Easy, beautiful," he chuckled, and he sipped his amber drink without breaking eye-contact with her. He swallowed, licked his lips, and finally dropped his gaze. "You went with the red one," he noted, slipping a hand along the side seam of the shimmery fabric of her dress. "Fucking beautiful."

"Elliot," she blushed and looked away from him, but his hold on her tightened. She caved and stared up at him, knowing he hated when she shrugged off compliments, and she smiled. "Thank you."

He winked at her as he took another sip of his drink. "So, uh, what's a knockout like you doing at this shin-dig all alone?"

She laughed softly. "Knockout? Shin-dig? What, are you Marlon Brando?"

He raised both brows, bit his bottom lip, and nodded. He lowered his voice, leaned closer to her, and he stared into her deep brown eyes. "I'm about to make you an offer you can't refuse."

"Oh, really?" she questioned flirtatiously, tilting her head slightly toward his. "And what, praytell, are you offering?"

Still, his eyes locked with hers, he downed the last of his drink and dropped the glass inelegantly onto the bar beside him. He licked his lips, darting his tongue over them in such a way that he almost grazed hers as well. "Me, you, an empty room...I'll make you cum twice in less than five minutes, and you won't even wrinkle your dress."

Her breath hitched, her heart stopped, she froze in his arms, and she knew...she fucking knew...he was serious. "You're just determined to get onto Santa's naughty list, aren't you?" she looked around the room, at the drunken faces of her colleagues, her boss, "Here? Are you…"

"Here," he said darkly, his hands slowly roaming over the curves and swells of her ass. "Now." He leaned in and kissed her neck, growling slightly. "I swear to God," he mumbled, his voice like sandpaper, "If we don't go somewhere else, everyone in this room is gonna find out exactly what kinda heat I'm packing and where I'm about to stick my gun."

"Fucking hell," she moaned, looping her hands around his wrists. She pulled his palms off of her body and tugged him toward the ballroom doors, hoping there was an empty room close enough to them. She turned knobs and kicked levers as they fumbled down the hall, his hands pawing at her, his lips and teeth nipping at her skin until finally one of them gave way. Once inside the room, she kicked off her heels and stumbled over the lumpy carpet.

He caught her before she could fall to the floor, and with one hand he tugged off his tie as the other locked the door behind him. He looked around, an afterthought, and when he realized they were alone in the dark coat room, he growled and pounced. He wedged one of his knees between her legs and gripped the sides of her dress with both hands. He tugged upward with a grunt and then reached behind him for an empty hanger.

She watched him work, one brow raised in question.

He chuckled. "Told you," he said with a shrug, "You wouldn't get this wrinkled." He hung the dress on the rod and then moved fast, diving his head forward to kiss her neck again as he made quick work of his jacket and button-down shirt.

With a huffing growl, she reached for him, tugging at the cotton and silk, and once it was nothing more than a puddle of red and black at her feet, she scraped her nails down his chest and moaned his name with such a low growl it made her body quake.

"Fuck," he whimpered, the sound reverberating, and he looped one hand around his cock, stroking it to fuller attention, as the other hand reached around her to unhook her bra. His eyes rolled back when it fell to the floor and he licked his lips in anticipation.

She swatted his hand away and took over for him, feeling him swell at her touch. "El," she moaned, feeling his hands on her.

He hooked his fingers around the red lace of her panties, twisted and pulled, leaving them torn and useless as he tossed them over his shoulder, unconcerned with where they landed. He shifted, then, and wrapped his arms around her and lifting her a bit. He grunted once, just before thrusting forward, impaling her roughly. He caught her scream in his mouth as he kissed her hard, one hand crawling up her body to wind in her hair.

She rolled her hips to meet his powerful thrusts, feeling him slip out and hit into her completely, and her eyes rolled back as he pulled her hair. "God, Elliot," she groaned.

He grunted a reply, slamming into her harder, faster. When he felt her begin to clamp around him he grinned and kissed her again. "That was once," he told her, and he discreetly checked his watch as his hand smoothed around to the front of her body. He guided her backward until the top of her back was pressed against the wall, giving him an incredibly clear view of their working sex. He seethed and gasped, the sight of himself pumping in and out of her almost too much to take.

"El," she whispered, running her palms up and down his glistening, heaving chest.

The look in her eyes broke his heart and rebuilt it, made it stronger, and he took one last look as his thick length, her wetness, and bridged the small gap between their bodies as he worked them down onto the carpet. He maneuvered one hand between them, finding her clit and circling it with his thumb. He heard her yelp, saw her back curve, felt her clenching again, and he chuckled victoriously. "Twice," he whispered, "In less than five minutes."

"Jesus Christ," she whimpered, trembling as she came around him, while her fingernails ironically dug into the tattoo of the Lord on his arm. "Oh, God, Elliot," she cried.

He made wordless promises as he bent over and kissed her. As he slowed his frenzied pace, he stroked her hair back and let his mouth languidly explore hers. He whispered her name against her lips, like a prayer, and he pulled back to look down at her, gazing into her eyes and reliving their past.

He'd never truly believed they'd be like this, but he'd always imagined she'd be an incredible lover. He'd fantasized about her from the moment they met. He'd wondered how she'd felt, about the noises she'd make. He'd wondered if she was a screamer or a quiet breathy lover, if she'd like biting and scratching or if she'd prefer nothing more than standard missionary. It had taken a year for the fantasies to veer from purely sexual to something much more powerful. When he'd admitted it to himself, it worsened, it had become more than just a fantasy and the last leg of his marriage was balancing on a pile of his emotional affair. When he'd been declared legally separated, he'd made the move he'd waited what had seemed an eternity to make, and he'd kissed her, told her he loved her, promised he wasn't just saying it to get her in bed, and then...as if God had been making up for every unanswered prayer, she'd given it all to him in return.

Now, six months later, here they were, in a coat closet at the Hyatt Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, at the annual NYPD Christmas Gala, making more promises that each knew they fully intended to keep. "Liv," he whispered through his lips pressed to her, "God, Liv, baby."

Her nails scraped down the back of his scalp, the nape of his neck, her body burned with every hard thump of her heart against her chest and she struggled to open her eyes. Once they met his, however, she was lost completely. "El," she breathed, "God, Elliot, I…"

His lips stopped her words, and with three more deep, slow, powerful strokes, she clamped down around him for the third and final time as he fired off hotly into her with soft grunts and muffled curses. He kissed her slowly as he calmed, stilling inside of her, letting her pulse around him until she came down from her high. "My God," he panted, rolling over onto his back and taking her with him. He dragged his left hand up and down her bare back, his right hooked under his head, and he relished in the silence, feeling her heartbeat hit against his naked body.

"What...the hell…" she laughed, and then turned and buried her head in his chest, inhaling him deeply. "What brought that on?"

"Tonight," he shook his head and drew small circles in her back with his fingertips. "I walked into that room, saw you...by the tree, in that dress, and I…" he huffed once. "Fuck, it was like every single nerve in my body was set on fire. I know tonight was about us taking that next step, going on an actual date when it wouldn't be considered…" he paused to shrug and take a breath, "Wouldn't be considered wrong. We're here, tonight, to tell Cragen, leave the bullshit behind...but I just...took one look at you and fucking wanted to…" he laughed, "Do exactly what I fucking did."

She chuckled, her body shaking against his, and she moved as he shifted. "Well, we should probably get back out there and, ya know, tell Cragen."

Elliot complained as he sat up, his still-sweaty body peeling away from the carpet. He kissed her softly as he got to his knees, and when he stood, he held out his hands for her. He pulled her to her feet, kissed her forehead, and then reached behind him to take her dress off its hanger. He raised a finger, then, and knelt down to pick up her bra. With a wink, he handed it to her and watched in amazement as she hooked it blindly. He held out her dress, helped her into it, zipped it up, and then ran his eyes up and down her body. "Shit," he squeezed his eyes shut and gave one hard tug on his stiffening dick.

She laughed as she bent to help him pick up the pieces of his suit and just as he had done, she helped him redress. She tied his tie for him, just the way he liked it, and kissed the very bottom of his chin. "I love you," she whispered.

He smiled at her, a new gleam in his eye, and said, "I love you, too, baby." He shoved one of his hands in his pocket and unlocked the door with the other. He pulled and gave a quick look around, and once he was sure no one was in the hallway, he pulled her out and toward the ballroom. As soon as they walked in, the nerves hit. The place was much more crowded than it had been when they left it, friends, coworkers, supervisors, and people they didn't even know littered the dance floor, covered the bar stools, and lined the walls. "Um," he sputtered, squeezing her hand tightly, "You ready for this?"

"If you are," she said, giving a toss of her head to get her tousled hair out of her eyes. Before she knew it, she was being pulled along, heading right for the group of most familiar people. "Hey, gang," she heard him say, a lightness in his voice and a fake laugh to hide his nerves, she noticed.

Greetings were exchanged, handshakes and hugs, and then someone broached the topic before anyone else could. John Munch peered over his wire-rimmed glasses at them. "You two okay?" he questioned. "Is it snowing out there? You both look a little...damp."

"Before you say anything," Fin Tutuola, another detective in their unit, jutted his thumb upward, "Maybe you wanna move a couple feet to the left. The reason we're all standing here is that we're waitin' for certain people to get caught under this shit with us."

"Oh," Elliot said as he sheepishly looked up, spotting a crooked bunch of mistletoe. He squeezed Olivia's hand again as he stared up at it.

Olivia sighed. She expected him to back out, drop her hand, change his mind. What she didn't expect was for him to laugh and turn to kiss her for all she was worth.

Captain Cragen, staring at them completely befuddled, said nothing more than, "Merry Christmas." He kept his focus on his two best detectives, lip-locked and arm-bound, and posed a question to the man next to him. "Is that just because of the mistletoe?"

John chuckled and crossed his arms. "I think it's more because they've been seeing each other for months, his divorce was finalized today, he signed a lease on a place on the Upper East Side, and he got custody of the kids."

Olivia pushed Elliot back, stunned, having heard Munch speak. She licked her lips as she frantically blinked at him. "What?" she asked the shocked question with a beaming smile and tears in her eyes.

Elliot grinned at her and gave her another soft kiss. "Merry Christmas, baby."

**A/N: In the next one-shot...a case at work takes some of our characters away from home on Christmas Eve, but Santa still knows where to find them. **


	4. Santa Knows

**A/N: Santa knows who's naughty or nice, and exactly where to find them on Christmas. **

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and all related plot/characters originally belong to Dick Wolf. This story, words, and dialogue are mine. © TStabler **

The blanket of white snow covers the lawn so perfectly, so smoothly. He winces slightly because he knows if he was home the crisp flat layer would be marred with small footprints, snow angels and snow men, and dips from where thrown snowballs would have landed. He sighs and shakes his head. He doesn't get to witness his children play in the snow on Christmas Eve this year.

As if she can sense his disenchantment, she steps up behind him with her arms crossed and says, "Go. I'm sure you can get a flight home from here, this isn't exactly the most populated city in the world." She doesn't see him move, doesn't hear him speak. "Just go. I can do this by my…"

"Are you crazy?" He asks the question as soon as he turns around, his knitted brows making him look more angry than stunned. He falters, then, taking her in. Her green and white woolen sweater is two sizes too big, hiding her incredible figure and making her frame look tiny. Her black leggings cling to her perfect legs and he runs his eyes down their length until he spots her gray fake-fur-trimmed boots and he wonders if the outfit is something she'd wear if she wasn't currently pretending to be a suburbs housewife weekend traveler. He can't help thinking how adorable she looks, how he wishes the sweater were a bit shorter so he could see her incredible ass, a little smaller so he could take in a full view of her curves.

"Am I?" she asks, noticing he's frozen and silent with a crooked grin on his face and the way he's staring at her makes her uncomfortable.

He realizes he has, in fact, been staring and he shakes his head quickly before saying, "I am never...I will never leave you anywhere alone. Especially not in the middle of fucking nowhere with a sociopath after you."

She rolls her eyes. "He's not after me," she protests, and she tries to pretend she doesn't see the tenderness and honest fear in his eyes. "Not...not really." She shrugs. "There are three other cops out there, I'll be fine, if you need to go home to…"

"I'm not leaving you," his words are harsher than before, he's more firm in his stance and his fists clench, his nostrils flare. "If I go home, I'm taking you with me." He shrugs. "I can't do that, so…" he waves his hands up a bit and then sighs. "It's just...it was supposed to be my turn, that's all."

"Your turn?" She takes a step closer to him. "For what?"

He smiles as he watches the kids across the street flopping around in the snow, wishing they were his kids and that he was home. "Christmas. Kathy got Thanksgiving and I was supposed to get Christmas." He feels the burn behind his nose that means he's about to cry, but he squeezes the bridge and squints hard, staving it off as he says, "Paperwork." He scoffs and turns to her again. "This is all just fucking...we're still here because of a goddamned technicality. That motherfucker still has you in his sights because someone signed on the wrong dotted line and our warrant was voided."

"I'm telling you to go," she almost begs, not willing to be the reason yet another thing goes wrong in his life. "Please, don't miss Christmas with the kids because of me."

"Because of…" he stares incredulously at her. "You didn't do this, baby, this is my job just as much as it is yours. Judge McCarthy is the one that fucked us over."

Her head's tilted now, it had flopped to the side when he called her baby, and she frowns. "Did you…"

"I did something stupid," he cuts her off again. He reaches for her and is almost surprised when she lets him take her hand.

She gives him a playful smile. "Doesn't surprise me," she teases, but when he squeezes her hand, she sobers. "What did you do?"

He moves closer, minimizing the space between them, and he pulls on her until she's flush against him. "I wrote a letter to Santa. Three weeks ago, when Kathy…"

"Santa?" she queries before he can bring his soon-to-be ex-wife into things. The night is burned into her memory, the frantic phone call that had interrupted a bad date and brought her into the downward spiral of her partner's sanity, had forced her to not only have had an entire Thanksgiving dinner for twelve catered and delivered, but keep the kids happy and calm throughout the meal. She blinks and the memory fades. "You wrote to Santa?"

He nods and says, "I asked him...to make sure we spent Christmas together. You and me." He looks around. "I didn't mean like this," he adds with a laugh. "But...we got nailed with this case, got sent out here, I thought I wouldn't get a minute alone with you at all, but good old Santa...he...did it. He actually fucking did it."

"Why did you want me with you, anyway?" Her question is genuine. She legitimately doesn't know why Christmas's biggest fan would want to spend the holiday with a less green, less furry version of The Grinch. "Christmas is…"

She doesn't get to finish her sentence. His sweet, chaste kiss stops her words.

He pulls away slowly with one eye still closed, afraid to be fully aware of her reaction. When he is satisfied that she's not going to punch him, he relaxes and opens the other eye. "I've been wanting to do that for... years." He nuzzles her nose with his and says, "That's why. Christmas always has this magical way of making everything okay again. For the last few years, you've spent Christmas with me and my family and it's been…"

"Traumatic," she jokes, referring to the way his then-wife would make snide comments and hint at her to leave before dessert.

He laughs it off as he brushes the hair off of her face. "My kids call your mother Nana, and they always buy presents for you with their own money, and I have been more content and calm than I ever remember being since you came along." He kisses her again; it lasts longer than the first time. "You have been the most incredible partner I have ever had and the best friend…" he shakes his head and gives a sly smile. "We've never been friends. Liv, I…" he starts to shake as the words scrawl themselves into a full rough-draft on his mental notebook.

She squints at him in worry. "You're scaring me."

He nods again, he knows he is terrifying her in powerful ways because he's scaring the shit out of himself, too. "I've been holding back my feelings for so fucking long, doing the right thing, the Catholic thing…" he dips his head until it's pressed to hers. "Ignoring how much I love...how completely I have fallen in love with you, and I was gonna tell you...tonight, by the fireplace, after the kids went to sleep and I was gonna give you a present…" he pauses, blinks, and he says, "Stay here."

She doesn't have the ability to move anyway; her body is stuck to the spot and her lips sting where his had touched them. "Elliot?" She watches as he digs through his blue duffel bag and she can't even hide the wonton smirk on her face as he bends over and his ass is clear view. She clears her throat when she sees him rise again and turns away awkwardly, crossing her arms and trying to stop the heat from rising to her cheeks.

He walks back to her with a long, thin velvet box in his hand and he inhales deeply when he steps up to her. "I don't even want to tell you when I bought this," he laughs in spite of himself. He trembles as he flips open the box and he keeps his gaze steady on her widening eyes. When her hand flies to her face and cups her mouth, he knows he did something right. "It's almost embarrassing how long this has been sitting in my sock drawer."

She bit back a yelp as he lifted the silver necklace. It's the type of thing a doting husband gives his wife on their tenth anniversary before a night of intense romance and mind blowing sex, not a friendly token between partners. "I can't…" but before she can even get a third word out of her mouth, he's got the chain around her neck and the diamond, ruby, and sapphire pendant nestles into the slight divot between her clavicles. She looks down at it and her hand drops to lift it for a better look. "Elliot," she whispers.

"I went into the jeweler's to have my ring resized…" he scoffs at the mention of it. "This necklace was hanging on a hook, near the window, and the sun was hitting it as it moved and it looked like…"

"Squad lights," she said, seeing the same thing as she twisted the charm between her fingers.

He nods and he says, "I took it as a sign. It belonged off that hook and on your neck, and Liv…" he trails off, he breathes, and he says, "I seriously contemplated buying the matching ring." He eyes her for a moment until he sees his words hit her. "I'm serious."

"What are you saying?" She lets the charm drop to her skin and she slips her hand into his. She hopes his next words are the ones she's dreamed of hearing from him for longer than she'd ever admit.

"I'm saying," he chuckles, "That somehow, over the last few years, I don't know if it was slowly, day by day, or all at once the moment we met...because it feels like both. Maybe it was." He pulls her hand up to his chest and splays her palm over his heart. He knows she can feel how hard it's pounding, how fast it's racing. "I have fallen so helplessly in love with you."

She's prayed for this moment, for this exact experience, so many times and imagined it so many ways, but now that it's happening she has no idea what to do or say or feel. Her eyes fill with tears and to avoid their spilling, she looks out the window. It takes her vision a second to clear and when it does she grins. "It's snowing."

"Okay," he says, intoning the word like a song lyric, looking over his shoulder quickly and then whipping back to her. "But I just said that I…"

"That first Christmas at your place," she interrupts, her hand still in his, her thumb stroking over the side of his fingers, "I had to get away from the…"

"Kathy," he laughs softly and works his fingers between hers, rubs their knuckles together.

She laughs and nods. "Well, anyway, I went outside onto the porch, and I remember...I don't even know who I thought I was talking to...Santa, I guess," she gives him a soft laugh and then looks down at their entangled hands. "I asked for you. This. I closed my eyes and I whispered...just send me a sign. Then it started snowing, and for a moment I believed that was it. My sign. And as soon as the thought crossed my mind, I felt horrible. How could I ask for that? For someone else's husband?" She sniffles again but this time she doesn't stop the tears. "I remember thinking...how could I be so selfish? How could I ask for something that you'd didn't...well, at least, I thought you didn't want?"

"The next day...Liv, I bought your necklace the next day," he tells her. He hears her gasp lightly and moves both of his hands to cup her face. "I think...no, I know...someone was answering both of us, and with everything that's happened the past couple of months, it's God's way of telling us we can have what we want now." He moves in but stops and furrows his brow. "That was...that was you telling me you're in love with me, right? I don't wanna kiss you and get slapped."

She laughs, the most musically lilting laugh she's ever given, and nods. She meets him halfway, their lips touch softly, and in an instant his tongue was prying her mouth open and she was letting him invade her senses.

His hands dropped hers and his arms looped around her waist as hers swooped around his neck. They were too lost in each other, in the middle of the most magnificent moment of their lives, to notice the three men in suits dragging a man out of the house next door in cuffs.

Santa heard every request, and even though it was miles away from where he expected to find them, he gave them everything they wanted for Christmas.

**A/N: Next: When someone sends a Christmas wish to the wrong person, the resulting chaos leads to the best Christmas ever. **


	5. Christmas Green

**A/N: A misguided Christmas proposition causes chaos that may ruin the holiday. Or make it better?**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and all related plot/characters originally belong to Dick Wolf. This story, words, and dialogue are mine. © TStabler **

Elliot knew Olivia was eyeing him, watching the way he slammed drawers and doors, the way he huffed every time he took a breath, the way he glared at her disdainfully and turned away whenever she met his eyes. He heard her speak, "El, what's…"

"Nothing," he snapped before she could even finish her question. He momentarily softened, her brown eyes glittered in the dim light, her smooth tan skin melted into her brown collared shirt, and for a moment he smiled.

Only for a moment.

He noticed as she cleared her throat and looked away from his angry eyes, he knew she was trying to remember if she'd said or done anything that may have set him off, or if there was something else that could be bothering him.

"Okay," she breathed. She moved a few things around on her desk and then glanced at her watch. "What time do you want me there tomorrow?"

He gave a scoffing laugh. "Whenever," he bit back. "Unless you have something better to do, come or don't. Fine." He couldn't help the venomous tone of his words, but as soon as he saw the wounded look on her face, he wanted to take it all back. He paled, wondering if he was overreacting, and he opened his mouth to apologize.

"Fine," she hissed before he could speak. He watched her through narrowed eyes as she rose from her chair and yanked her coat off of the back of it. "Since Cragen said we could leave whenever…I have some last minute things to do, so maybe I'll see you tomorrow, maybe I won't," she snarled. And under her breath, as she tried not to cry, she growled the word, "asshole" and stormed out of the squadroom, leaving Elliot to stew in his irritation.

He felt broken at the moment, but anger rose again as he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. He tapped in his code and re-read the text message that ruined his day. Ruined his life, honestly.

_I'll be in the city for Christmas, ready to pick up where we left off. The W Hotel, same room. Our room. Olivia, please...say you will meet me tonight? I can come to your place. And hopefully it will lead to what I know we both want. We can make Christmas truly magical. Let me know._

He recognized the number, knew who it was, and he knew the man had to have dialed Olivia's number from memory because it was only one digit off from his. He read the message again...and again...and each time it broke his heart and pissed him off and he looked at the clock first before eyeing the captain's closed door.

He nodded once and took on an intense determination as he shot to his feet and threw on his wool coat. He checked his watch, mumbled something under his breath, and then ran out to head Olivia off before she did something that would surely kill him.

He ran fast, pushing people out of his way, and he turned to take his chances with the stairs rather than waste precious minutes waiting for the elevator. When he pushed through the building exit, he darted his eyes around, seeing no sign of his partner. "Fuck," he ran faster, thinking that his legs would carry him to her apartment more quickly than his car; traffic would slow him down and he'd definitely be too late.

He painted as he dodged the people on the sidewalk, he hopped over cars and ignored their irritated honking, he whizzed past window displays and mechanical Santas, and elbowed the head off of an unsuspecting snowman. At last, he saw Olivia a few feet ahead of him, he thought he'd caught up to her. "Liv!" He ran faster, legs moving harder, and he yelled her name again. "Liv!"

When he was close enough to touch her, he grabbed her arm, stopped her, but instantly apologized when the scared face of a woman he'd never seen before stared back at him. "Sorry," he puffed, "I thought you were someone else." He let the stunned and frightened woman go and took another deep breath before taking off even faster than before, not caring whose bags he spilled or whose coffee he knocked over, he just sped through the Christmas Eve crowd and hoped like hell he'd at least get to her apartment before Dean Fucking Porter.

His chest burned, his face was numb, he was sure he was probably having a heart attack, but he kept running. Her building came into view and he stopped only for a moment, mumbling a silent prayer before his eyes darkened and every muscle in his body tightened. He took the front steps two at a time, tugged the door open, and then breezed by the doorman with a grunt. He almost ran into the lobby's Christmas tree, narrowly stepping aside just in time. Once again, he bypassed the elevator and shot up three flights of stone steps, and when he made it to her floor, he bent over, hands on his shaking knees, and breathed in and out as deeply and as slowly as he could.

He righted himself, tugged down on his green shirt, smoothed out his grey tie, and stomped over to her door. He didn't knock, he simply burst through it and shouted, "Look, asshole! She told you months ago that…" he stopped, he stilled.

"What the hell are you doing, Stabler?" Olivia questioned, frozen in place with a furious look on her face and a half-wrapped present in her hands.

Elliot looked around, flummoxed. "You're...alone."

"Don't need a reminder," she threw at him, and she let go of the box and wrapping. She rose from the couch and walked over to him, pointing almost threateningly. "I don't know what the fuck you're problem is, but you have three seconds to explain…"

"What's going on with you and Porter?" The question came out as more of a demand. Her confused face surprised him. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and wagged it at her the way he taunts suspects with hard evidence. "Liv, come on, I mean...I thought something was happening here, with us, and if I got my hopes up just to have them shattered, I need to know."

"Porter? Dean Porter?" Her eyes popped and she grabbed his phone, tapping his password in faster than he ever could, and she tried to find whatever email or message had sent him into a tizzy. "Elliot, I haven't fucking seen him since he tried to…" she found the text, read it, and then eyed Elliot with a hidden humor in her eyes. "You do realize...if you're the one that got this, then I never did, right? I never answered him…and I wouldn't have; I thought…" she handed him back his phone and she shrugged. "Well, put it this way: there are a thousand people in the world I would rather spend my time with than him, and that includes my mother, so he was grasping at straws."

He flattened his lips and smiled sheepishly as he took his phone from her. "I got this and I thought…" he coughed. "I guess I got…"

"Jealous," she said, and she crossed her arms. "Is that why you were such a complete dick tonight?" She took a step closer to him. "You really thought I would…"

"You could," he cut her off and his face fell. "That's what...that's why I got so scared and so fucking angry. I realized that if you wanted to, you could see Porter, you could date that doctor who keeps calling you, or the Starbucks guy who keeps writing his number on your cups, or that goddamned lawyer who calls you Detective Buxom."

She stifled a laugh and she tilts her head to catch his eyes. "You really think…" she shook her head. "You're right; if I wanted to, I could. But I don't want to. All I wanted to do tonight was be with you. I want order Chinese, curl up on my couch, and watch cheesy holiday movies on Lifetime while I wrap presents and you tell me I'm doing it wrong." She nodded when his eyes widened a bit. "You, El. After what happened on Thanksgiving, how could you doubt that?"

"You...you were never gonna…" he looked down at his phone, chuckled, and then shoved the phone into his coat pocket before taking the wool garment off, tossing it over a chair, and then rushing into Olivia with such force it slammed her into the wall. "Me, huh?"

She nodded and swallowed nervously. His hands moved to her hips and she held her breath.

"How did you get here so fast?" He asked the question as he smoothed his palm up higher, under her brown cotton shirt. "I ran out of the place not only a couple of minutes after you."

"Taxi," she returned, a soft moan hanging off of the word. "I was so upset that I paid him extra to run lights, I couldn't get away from you fast enough. I thought..." she paused and shook her head. "You got so mad at me, and I thought you…"

"The thought of you being with anyone else," he whispered, moving his other hand up the front of her shirt, over her thin bra. He grazed the mound of her breast, he flicked at her nipple, "Scares the shit out of me."

Her voice broke out a small gasp and light moan and then she whispered back, "I don't want anyone else, ever."

"I woke up this morning," he started, and he grinned arrogantly as he pinched her nipple and rolled it between his fingers. His dick hardened at the sound of her moan, and he licked his lips before he spoke again. "And I planned out exactly how I would do this, how I'd convince you that I was serious, that I was ready to take this leap with you. Convince you to...unwrap a pretty big present tonight."

Her head dropped to the crook of his neck, she whimpered when he pinched her nipple harder. "Jesus," she whimpered. "Elliot, are you…"

"One fucking text," he interrupted, now working her buttons apart, "No way in hell was I letting you spend Christmas Eve, or any other day for that matter, with that insipid little bastard." He shirked the cotton off of her body and moaned when he felt her hands on his belt. "I'm promising you, now, tonight, on Christmas Eve…" he straightened up and looked into her eyes, moved his hands to cup her face, and he kissed her softly. "I swear, I will never give you a reason to take him up on his offer. I will never…"

"El," she stopped him, shaking her head, and held his gaze as she pulled his belt out of his pant loops and dropped it to the hardwood. "I will never want to, I haven't really wanted anyone...but you...in years." She moved her hands to his zipper and kissed him back eagerly when he pressed his lips against hers.

They took turns taking off bits of each other's clothes, bathed in the blinking colored lights of Olivia's Christmas tree. He moved them backward blindly, their deep kiss locking them together, guiding them into her bedroom.

The Chinese food, bad movies, and wrapping presents would have to wait as they gave each other the one gift that had been for which they'd both hoped and prayed, one that would last a lifetime.

Each other.

**A/N: next: Spending Christmas with someone else's family puts things into perspective when the gift exchange takes a surprising turn. **


	6. Awkwardly Incredible

**A/N: Christmas with someone else's family can be awkward. Awkwardly exciting. **

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and all related plot/characters originally belong to Dick Wolf. This story, words, and dialogue are mine. © TStabler **

Olivia Benson has always had a mild disdain for Christmas. Today, when she'd hoped something would shift, it seems that nothing has changed. It's been half an hour since Elliot's opened the present from her, and he's still sitting on the couch, staring at it. She stares on as he turns the silver pocket watch over in his hands, opens and closes it twice, runs his fingers along the engraving.

She's not sure what he thinks or feels, all she knows is that the morning, so far, has been awkward. Kathy, Elliot's ex-wife, had no idea Olivia was coming for the holiday and had been glaring at her over breakfast and through the gift exchange. The glare had been even harsher when Olivia gave Elliot his watch. Clearly, something had struck a nerve.

She blinks and in that instant he's off the couch and right in front of her. She steps back in surprise with widened eyes, and she says, "Hi."

He smiles at her. "Hi," he brushes her hair back and blinks once. "You okay?"

She licks her lips and nods, and then pauses. "Not really," she chuckles. "Kathy keeps looking at me like I killed her puppy." His laugh startles her and she leans closer to him. "I'm serious."

He sighs, the last of his laughter fading, and he kisses her forehead. "She, uh…" he looks over his shoulder.

Olivia's eyes follow suit, waving over the quaintly decorated house, the boughs of holly and garland, the huge tree and its simple gold, silver, white, and red ornaments, and she smiles slightly. Elliot must have taken all of the good decorations, including the sentimental ornaments. They're all currently on display at a townhouse in Manhattan. She's mesmerized by the single stocking hung on the wall, a rhinestone studded maroon velvet with fur trim and the name "Stabler" written in silver glitter across its top.

"She has ulterior motives for asking me to be here today," he continues, and his voice snaps her out of her gaze. When she looks at him, he cups her chin with one hand. "Nothing to worry about, you hear me?"

She nods, but part of her still thinks any attempt by Kathy to win Elliot back will be successful, especially on Christmas, when she can throw the children into the mix of reasons he should just come back to her. "I just wish she'd stop making those comments about…"

"She's jealous," he interrupts. He winks at her and says, "She always has been, and always will be. She makes those comments because she knows they get to you." He swoops her hair behind her right ear and gives her a warm smile. "She knows how tough you are, how you can take down a man three times your size, shoot a fly on the wall from ninety feet away, do a backflip in high heels while perfectly applying eyeliner…"

"I can't…" she starts, but his finger presses against her lips. She raises one brow and she knows he can feel the way her lips curl beneath his touch.

"Okay," he tilts his head, "Maybe not while actually putting on the eyeliner but it doesn't fucking smudge, give me that." He chuckles and he lets his hand fall, from her face to her back, pressing into the small dip just above her ass. "She knows all of that...and she knows why I fell in love with you, why we…" he stops himself, clears his throat, and shoots another look over his shoulder. It doesn't seem right to bring up past indiscretions on the day Jesus was born, so he doesn't let the words leave his mouth. He looks back at Olivia and smirks. "She knows that with you...it's more real, it's hotter, it's deeper, and it's everything. She knows, and she hates it, and she tries to make you feel just the smallest bit of what she felt every day for four years."

Olivia rolls her eyes and nods, caving to the intention of Elliot's schpeal. "You, um…" she looks down and laughs at the way the tree on his sweater lights up and blinks, "I noticed you staring at that watch. It's not...it's not your only present, there's something else, I just…wanted you to have that before Christmas really began."

"I haven't given you yours, yet, either. I'm waiting until after dinner," he tells her, and he presses into her further, the contact making the Santa on her sweater give a cheery "Ho Ho Ho" and they both chuckle lightly. "And yeah, I was staring at the watch because...I don't know how you even…"

"I gave it to her," a voice speaks from a few feel to their right. Elliot's mother is grinning like a fox, a mug of fresh hot cocoa in her hands. She moves a bit and hums cheerily. "She called me, oh, a month ago, asked if there was anything that your father wanted you to have but never had the chance to give you. I told her about his tie clip, a pair of emerald cufflinks, and that pocket watch."

His eyes shimmer with the twinkling tree lights and his eyes dart from his mother to Olivia and back again, and again. "What?"

With her lip between her teeth, Olivia nods. "I know it's always been a point of contention with you, the thing that makes it hard to forgive him, to let go, to grieve…" she pauses, she backs up and sits on the sofa, pulling him down, too. She grips one of his hands in both of hers. "I went over and...well, there's a few other things in the box at home, but the watch...I had each of the kids write their name on a card and took it with me to the jeweler…" she reaches slowly for his other hand, uncurls his fingers, and flicks open the watch. Each child's name is scrawled into the silver in his or her own writing, and on the very bottom his name and Olivia's, swirled together in her curvy script. "You have a part of him with you, a part of...all of us. Always."

Bernie Stabler inhales sharply as she watches her son lift Olivia's hand to his lips and kiss each knuckle before using his own to brush away the tears that have formed and fallen. She has never seen him so emotional; she knows it's all Olivia's doing. "Certainly beats a new shirt and tie, hm?" the older, wiser woman jokes, referring to the gift that Kathy had routinely given Elliot every single Christmas for the duration of their marriage, including today.

Elliot laughs loudly as he nods and pulls Olivia closer to him. "Damn right," he says with a smile and then he softly kisses Olivia's lips.

From behind the large armchair that Bernie is perched in, Kathy grimaces. "The kids…" she tries to look away from the couple kissing on the couch, but she stares directly at Elliot, into his eyes, and she almost reflexively starts twirling her blonde hair around her finger and lowering her eyes. "The kids want to watch that Griswold movie, do you want to help me make popcorn and hot chocolate?"

Elliot screws up his face at her. "Why are you looking at me like that?" he asks, rising off the couch. He stays bent as he turns and kisses Olivia again, and before he can stand fully, his nine year old son barrels into him and pushes him back down. He lands on the couch, his head now in Olivia's lap, as he laughs and grabs his child. "Dickie, kiddo, what are you…"

"Can we go home?" the boy asks. "Mom's acting weird."

"Yeah, I know she is, but it's Christmas," Elliot says, brushing his son's hair back. "We should all be together on Christmas." He crunches up and kisses Dickie's forehead. "Now, come on, get off me so I can…"

"I got it, Dad," Kathleen, the middle daughter, comes into the room with a large red bowl filled with popcorn, and she sets it down on the coffee table before sitting in front of the couch. She looks back at her father, whose face is upside down as he makes himself comfortable on Olivia's legs. She whispers, "She just wanted to get you alone in the kitchen." The eleven year old rolls her eyes and shoved a handful of popcorn in her mouth.

Elliot scoffs, almost disbelievingly, and he lifts Dickie off of him and sits up. He drops his son to the couch beside him and with a darkness in his eyes, he heads for Kathy, grabs her hand, and pulls her into the kitchen. He turns and immediately puts up a hand, stopping Kathy from leaning further into him. "I didn't drag you in here to kiss you!" he fumes.

"No?" Kathy smirks, squeezing his hand. "What did you have in mind?"

He pulls his hand out of hers and shakes his head at her. "You are unbelievable! Here? Now? On Christmas?"

"We belong together," Kathy says with a nod. "I'm sure you've had time to get her out of your system, sow whatever wild oats you needed…"

"You think I only…" he drags a hand down his face while the other flops onto his hip. He hooks his thumb into the loop of his jeans and laughs. "God, uh...Kathy...I don't know how to tell you this, but, um…" he clears his throat. "Liv isn't just some fantasy I needed to fulfil because I got married at eighteen. She's not the hot work-wife I needed to bone because I didn't get to fuck whoever I wanted in college, and she certainly isn't someone I'm going to leave behind because you regret signing divorce papers." He slaps at his sweater, trying to turn off the lights, and he says, "Liv and I...we...um...we've been together... for a long time. I don't…"

"You were cheating on me?" Kathy's eyes are narrow and her arms cross, her flirtation gives way to anger. She inhales as her nostrils flare and she clears her throat. "Okay, so then...you should be able to forgive me for sleeping with…"

"I'm asking her to marry me," Elliot interrupts. He sees Kathy's face pale, her eyes widen, her mouth drop, but it's not her voice he hears yell, "You're what?"

He turns immediately, his face as white as Kathy's now, and he runs to her. "Well, uh, you, um…" he sighs and sinks. "It's why I didn't give you your present this morning. It was too soon, and I didn't think...well, I didn't exactly want to do this in front of Kathy." He takes Olivia's hand and tugs her back into the living room. He leads her to the tree and pulls something out from underneath it, tearing everyone else's attention away from Clark and Ellen and their antics on the TV. He knows there are six pairs of eyes on him and he can hear _National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation _break the silence. He takes a deep breath and hands the box to Olivia.

She looks at it, her heart thumping, and as she unwraps it, her hands begin to tremble. She shakes her head and gives it back to Elliot. "My hands are…"

"Mine, too," he laughs, but he manages to flip the lid and hold out the ring. "Four years," he says, and he eyes the tree for a moment. He pulls a candy cane, a red bow, and a silver bell off of the branches. "You have filled my life with sweetness and heat," he hands her the candy cane. "You've wrapped me and the kids completely around your finger and you tied my heart in a knot that no one is ever gonna fucking undo," he slips the red bow around the candy cane in her hand. "And when I am with you, no matter where or when, I hear music. Sweet music. Angels singing, bells ringing, and God himself telling me that he gave me to you for a reason. For life." He tops the candy cane with the silver bell and he raises the box a bit. "I never want to go back to living a silent, unstable, bland life. I am asking you, today, our fourth Christmas together...marry me?"

The children let out squeals and gasps, Bernie claps her hands together, and Kathy along with the three people she's just let into the house, stare in complete astonishment.

"Liv," he whispers to prod her into answering, and he lifts a bent finger to swipe away a tear. "No more lies, secrets, or hiding...marry me, because I need to tell the world how in love with you I am, and that you're mine, I'm yours, for life." He kisses the end of her nose. "Marry me." It's not a question anymore, but a demand.

From behind Kathy, a low and deep voice says, "Answer the boy."

Olivia looks over and smiles at Captain Cragen, who's holding a pie in his hands, and then someone to his left catches her eyes and she takes a sharp, stunned breath. "El, you…" more tears fall from her opened eyes.

"Yeah, I wanted the whole family here for this," he whispers. "Cragen, Munch, and your mother...baby, please give me an…"

Her lips cut off his words, her arms loop themselves around his neck, and she nods vigorously as she kisses him deeply. Santa's boisterous laugh filters through the room as people around them clap and cry and laugh.

It simply amazes them all that he most awkwardly incredible Christmas has only just begun.

**A/N: Next: A Christmas vacation takes a wild turn. **


	7. Hot Holiday

**A/N: A Christmas vacation with friends turns into something much more.**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and all related plot/characters originally belong to Dick Wolf. This story, words, and dialogue are mine. © TStabler **

_For the first time in her entire adult life, Olivia Benson was completely relaxed. The feel of the hot sand under the soft towel beneath her, the sun beaming down on her, and the fact that the sounds of sirens and gunshots were replaced by seagulls and ocean waves worked together to bring her to a state of peace she hadn't felt in years. _

"_You know," Casey Novak put her pink drink down on the small table beside her, "You need to buy more clothes that show off that figure of yours. You wear these boxy suits, who the hell knew that those curves and that fucking stomach were hiding under it all?" _

_Olivia chuckled and shielded her eyes with her hand as she turned to her friend. "Those boxy suits are designed to be loose, considering I have to wear a holster and run like hell." _

_Casey smirked and rolled her eyes. "Whatever," she said, and she lifted her drink back up and swirled the umbrella around in it. Her eyes stopped on someone heading their way, and she sat up a bit straighter. "I'm not the only one who noticed that killer body of yours, apparently."_

_Olivia turned her eyes over to the man now dropping to a towel beside her. Her grin widened as she took in the look on his face. "Stabler, I think you left your jaw back by the bar." _

_He stared, gaping mouth, and let his eyes run over her body. "Christ," he grunted, and he shifted on his towel to hide his suddenly very obvious erection. "Where was I when you bought that bikini? I...I wouldn't have let you...I mean maybe if this was a private beach." He took a sip of his beer, his eyes now glued to her chest. _

_She teasingly closed his mouth by pushing up on his chin with one finger. "Stop drooling, maybe you'll see what's under it later." _

"_Killing me," he whispered as his head fell to her shoulder. "You're killing me." He bit the top of her shoulder, then moved his mouth up to cover hers. They kissed passionately until a throat cleared beside her. _

_Casey narrowed her eyes at Olivia. "Am I missing something?" _

_Olivia turned to her and shook her head. "If you're seeing it, you're not missing it." _

Her head shot up fast when the alarm on her phone blared. She rested one hand over her heart and silenced the alarm with the other. With a heavy breath, she looked around at the dark hotel room. "Fucking...dream…" she mumbled, running a hand down her face. She spotted her partner, and current roommate, Elliot Stabler, still sound asleep next to her and she rolled her eyes at herself for fantasizing about him.

She couldn't help it. She found him irritating and infuriating, but between the temper and arrogance she also got to see the tenderness, the loving father, gracious man, and the absolute physical and emotional strength he possessed made her weaker for him than anything. She also had an obsession with his body and lost herself in his eyes more than once. She slowly reached for his bare chest, rising and falling with his even breathing.

"Get a grip," she chided herself, pulling her hand back, and she got out of the bed, padding around the dark room, guided only by the blinking Christmas lights that he had insisted on putting up. She sighed at the small tree, it's miniature ornaments making her smile, and then she lifted each carefully wrapped gift into her hands.

Christmas wasn't what she'd thought it would be this year. She had assumed she'd be alone in her midtown apartment, snowed in, with bad takeout and a worse movie. Instead, she was on a tropical island, not a flake of snow in sight, with four of her closest friends and the man of her dreams. Her recently divorced, father of four partner, whom she'd completely given every part of her heart and soul to without even realizing it.

When Casey had invited her, she'd said no. It was Elliot who'd then convinced her to take the trip, because he'd wanted to do it. Because he'd needed to get away, he'd needed the escape and he'd needed her with him for it. He begged her to be with him for Christmas, and how could she have refused?

She smiled at the memory of the conversation and turned to look over her shoulder. He was still asleep. She checked the clock as she put the gifts down. "Merry Christmas," she whispered into the air, and then she made her way into the bathroom, flicked on the light and flinched as her eyes adjusted. She turned and set the shower water to almost boiling, and then slowly peeled off her pajama top. She was just about to lower her bottoms when she heard a loud gasp from behind her.

She turned, immediately trying to shield herself with the shower curtain, and she yelled, "Jesus, Elliot! Fucking knock! What is wrong with…"

He was staring, wide eyed and slack-jawed, but his hand moved up to her mouth fast, two fingers pressing against her lips. "I'm...so sorry but I'm…" he swallowed and tilted his head. "You are so fucking…"

She yanked his hand away from her mouth, her angry embarrassment clear and present, and she snapped, "Can you please get the hell out of here so I can take my…"

"Liv," he whispered, moving closer to her, one hand gently unraveling her shower curtain robe. "We came out here to spend Christmas...together, right? We've seen each other naked before, we've shared the bed, we've…" he smiled and said, "We've been ignoring what this is for too fucking long, haven't we?"

His words stunned her enough to let her guard down and she dropped her arms, letting him look, letting him stare. Her eyes closed in fear of his reaction. "Elliot, please, don't…" but she was silenced by his hands.

They ran over her tightly toned stomach, up her chest, around her breasts, up her neck to cup her face. "You know this trip…" he started, but he paused to run his fingertips over her lips to get her to open her eyes. When she looked at him, he continued. "This trip isn't just about spending Christmas as far away from New York as possible, it's not just about being with friends because our family…" he stopped and exhaled, not ready to talk about his ex-wife taking his kids for the holiday. "I agreed to come out here to be with you, alone with you, to finally confront what we've been dodging for years."

"El, what are you talking about?" Her voice came out in a whisper.

"If I told you how many times I have dreamed of seeing you like this...and when I started...you'd have to arrest me," he jokes, but his hands slid down her body, grabbed at the elastic of her pajama shorts, and he slowly lowered them as he said, "I look at the last couple of years as a relationship. Dates, you can't tell me they weren't. And, uh, we've definitely…kissed goodnight a few times"

She smirks. Those nights meant more to her than she'd ever admitted, but now, realizing they meant just as much to him, it was more of an acknowledgement than admission. "You...you have to know, I feel the same way."

"You wouldn't be letting me hold you, naked in the bathroom, if you didn't," he laughed. He brushed his lips across her forehead. "And you...I trust you more than anyone else in my life, I spend so much more time with you, and I…" he heard her bottoms drop to the floor and he leaned slightly closer to her, "I am more in love with you than anyone has a right to be, and I came out here with you to hopefully...get what I really wanted for Christmas."

"Your present is out in the…" she was cut off by his lips against hers, his kiss invading her senses. "Wake up," she mumbled to herself, the words landing on his lips. "I need to...wake the fuck up."

"Trust me," he panted, "We are both...wide awake."

As if trying to prove it, she reached for his flannel pants, tugged and pulled until they rolled off of his hips and fell to the floor. "What did you really want for Christmas?"

"You," he said. "I thought I was making that pretty fucking obvious." He looped one arm around her waist and kissed her again, pushing her into the shower, under the hot water. He took a deep breath as he ran his hands over her skin, between her thighs, and he slipped his fingers through her slit and moaned her name. "This is...fuck, this is happening," he breathed, his body beginning to tremble.

She nodded, returning his nervous shiver in kind, her teeth nipping at his lower lip. "Yeah," she breathed, "It is." She yelled his name when his fingers pushed their way into her, and her head fell back against the tiles. "El," she whimpered, feeling his fingers twist inside of her.

"Shit, baby," he whispered on a chuckle, "Come on, honey, give me one of my presents a little early, huh?" He kissed her again and said, "I've fucking wanted to watch this for so damn long." He worked his fingers deeper, faster, his thumb rolling over her clit, until he felt her tightening. "Yes, baby," he breathed, his body pressed to hers. He kissed her to catch her scream and felt her shaking against him. "Fuck," he hissed, watching her eyes roll back, her jaw drop, and her body writhe and roll for him.

"My God," she breathed, and she dragged her hands down his chest, staring into his eyes. "What...what was…"

He stopped her before she could grab hold of his cock, and he held both of her wrists in one hand while he reached for the body wash with the other. "I can wait," he said, and he kissed her softly as he started running his soapy hands over her curves. "Water's getting cold," he chuckled. He washed her body, her hair, and then rinsed her clean before leaning up against the cool tile to allow her to do the same for him.

Through soft and deep kisses, they whispered the three words that until now had been too dangerous to say. "I love you," she told him again, and she dropped her head to his chest.

He kissed her forehead and smiled, and then turned off the water. He pulled her out of the glass shower, wrapped her in a fluffy white towel, and grinned. "Merry Christmas, baby," he said as he folded another towel around his waist.

She laughed and nodded, pulling him closer to her. "Best Christmas ever."

As they kissed, they moved blindly back toward the bed, where they would absolutely make their Christmas dreams come true.

**A/N: next: the children in the family find out a secret, and they get Santa to help them spill it! **


	8. Santa Always Knows

**A/N: When a secret is exposed to a couple of kids, it's impossible to keep. They need everyone to know on the night before Christmas; Luckily, Santa's there to help. **

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and all related plot/characters originally belong to Dick Wolf. This story, words, and dialogue are mine. © TStabler **

"Hurry up and wrap it!" Maureen Stabler shouted at her little brother, Dickie. The twelve-year-old struggled to hang mistletoe above the couch, balancing on one foot to reach higher. "Come on!" She poked her tongue between her pressed together lips as she finally got the tack to stick into the ceiling. "Are you done yet?"

Dickie rolled his eyes, his fingers knotted together with tape and ribbon. "No, this box is too small to be wrapped!" The seven-year-old pouted and shook his hand to free it from the tangled mess.

His twin sister, Lizzie, pulled his hands apart and then slowly, expertly, wrapped the small box in silver paper and topped it with a perfectly tied, red ribbon bow. "There," she said, handing it back to him. "Put it on the table next to the flowers."

"Are you sure this is…" Kathleen, the middle child at ten, began, but a loud chortling interrupted her. "Oh, no! They're already here? Why so early?" She ran out of the living room and into the foyer, where her father, Elliot, greeted several of his friends from work. "No, no, he said he wanted to be alone with…"

"Hey!" Elliot turned with a wide grin and bright eyes, seeing his daughter. "You guys, come here," he said, waving over his children. He smoothed one hand down his grey turtleneck as the other gestured to the man next to him. "You remember Sergeant Tucker, right?"

One by one, the kids slowly nodded, each giving the man a nervous smile. Dickie grimaced, knowing he was meant to shake Tucker's hand, but he still had the small box in his hands. "Um, nice to see you again, sir," and he did the only thing he could think of; he gripped the box in one hand and saluted with the other, raising his chin and knocking his heels together.

Tucker laughed and looked at Elliot. "Raising a little Marine, huh?" He pulled on the hem of his green sweater as he nudged his friend.

"Apparently," Elliot chuckled, ruffling his son's hair. "You guys, uh, why don't you take everyone into the living room, huh? I'll bring out the snacks and we can get this party started." He winked at Maureen and took off for the kitchen.

"What is he doing?" Maureen hissed toward her sister as they led a few people further into the house. She wiped her sweating palms down the front of her red velvet dress and sighed heavily. "And I don't see Liv anywhere," she noted, looking around the room.

"Oh, no," Kathleen groaned, closing her eyes. "If Dad did something stupid and they broke up…"

Dickie interrupted his sister's complaining inference. "Liv's in the kitchen with Dad," he said, "I just saw her. But what am I supposed to do with this, now?" He held up the small box. "I can't exactly just put it down between the bean dip and popcorn!"

Lizzie hummed, looking around at the people gathering in her house, and she grinned, let out a small gasp, and grabbed Dickie's free hand, pulling him toward someone who was just coming through the front door. "Santa!" she yelped.

Dickie gasped, then, too, but quickly softened. Why would Santa be at his father's stupid party? "Hey, you know that's probably not really…"

"Hey! Santa!" Maureen chirped loudly as they made it to the foyer.

The man stood up straight immediately, and then he smiled and let out a solid, "Ho, ho, ho! What can I do for you, young ones?" His voice was deep and raspy, and he stroked his white beard dramatically.

Lizzie pulled on his red coat until the man crouched down to her, and she whispered something into his ear before yanking the box out of Dickie's hand and handing it to the jolly man. "Please? We don't need any other gifts if you can just...make this happen."

Santa looked at the silver package in his hand, took in the words that Lizzie had said to him. "You said...your father...and Olivia...Benson?" He thought there was a chance he'd misheard; Olivia Benson wouldn't let herself get involved with a hot-tempered, recently divorced, father of four, who also happened to be her partner at work. Or would she?

"Yes, Santa, sir," Lizzie said with a furious nod. "We heard him talking to Grandma, it has to happen tonight."

"Well," Santa turned the box over and swallowed hard, and with tears in his eyes, he nodded. "I'll see what I can do, Lizzie."

Lizzie's eyes widened. "You know my name?"

"It _is_ Santa!" Dickie breathed, a smile spreading across his face. "Wow!"

Santa rose to his feet and watched the twins run, laughing their way back into the living room. He took a breath and straightened out his hat, and then moved. He noticed low, happy-sounding voices coming from his left, the kitchen, and he peeked into the room. He smiled at what he saw before him; Elliot had his arms around Olivia, humming to the obnoxious Christmas song that filtered through the house, dancing with her, kissing her, and smiling in a way he never did at work. He'd missed something; that was clear now. He just needed to know how long he'd been missing it. He backed away slowly and plastered on a fake smile as he headed into the living room and bellowed his "ho, ho, ho," for the benefit of the other kids.

Maureen was the only one to simply smile and wave, too old to fully believe in Santa Claus but too young to ignore the possibility. She laughed as her younger siblings and other guests' children ran over to him and nearly knocked him over. Her attention shifted, though, when she saw her father and Olivia walk into the room carrying plates of hors d'oeuvres. "Dad!" she shouted, running to him and taking the platter out of his hands. "I'll get this," she said, taking the bowl of dip from Olivia. "You two, um, go sit on the couch. Relax. Enjoy your party." She gave them both a beaming smile and kicked her father's ankle to get him moving.

"Okay, okay," Elliot said, rubbing his ankle and limping his way over to the sofa. "What is wrong with her? She never willingly…" he paused, smirked, and then hooked an arm around Olivia as he sat down. "Slick move, Mo," he called to his daughter, pointing up at the bushel of mistletoe hanging above him.

Olivia quirked a brow before looking up, and then she laughed. "Now, why would you…"

"It's Christmas," Maureen interrupted with a shrug. "Now, aren't you two supposed to _do something_ if you're caught under the mistletoe?"

Without missing a beat, Elliot and Olivia turned to each other and slapped a hard high-five.

Maureen, unamused, folded her arms. "Seriously?" she intoned dryly.

Elliot's face fell just a bit and he leaned over to Olivia. "You sure you didn't give birth to her? She looks exactly like you, right now, and it's scary."

Olivia chuckled, shook her head, and whispered, "I wish I was her mother. You know…" she looked into his eyes. "I wouldn't have left."

"I wouldn't have ever given you a reason to," he whispered back, and he leaned in closer, just barely brushing her lips with his. "Mistletoe, ya know," he remarked.

Nodding, Olivia closed the gap between their mouths, softly kissing him. She looped one hand around his neck and moaned his name into their kiss.

He pulled away first, his eyes darting around to see if anyone noticed, and when he was satisfied that no one saw them, he held out his hand. "We should mingle. What kind of hosts would we be if we just sat here and made out like teenagers all night?"

"Happy ones," Olivia joked, standing as he pulled her. She bent down and kissed Maureen's cheek, and said, "Thank you," and winked at her.

Maureen returned the wink, and once her father and Olivia were out of view, she ran to find her sisters and brother. "What are the three of you doing?" she asked, seeing them huddled by the tree. "I got them over to the couch but...one little kiss...are you sure he said he wanted…"

"Santa's got it under control," Lizzie interjected, holding up an authoritative hand.

Maureen's eyes popped. "What?" she yelled in a harsh whisper.

Lizzie stood proudly. "While you were just standing there moping, I asked Santa to help us out, here. He said he would! If anyone can make a Christmas miracle happen, it's Santa Claus!"

Knowing who was behind the big red suit and beard, Maureen's head fell into her hands. "Oh, man, Lizzie…" she started, but she saw the light in her little sister's eyes, and she couldn't ruin it. "Yeah, we...we do need a Christmas miracle." She looked over her shoulder, spotting her father and Olivia lost in conversation with Sergeant Tucker and two other people she sort of recognized. "More than ever."

The party carried on; Olivia and Elliot danced with each other, with the kids, with friends; people ate and drank and laughed; Santa passed out presents to all of the kids and a select few adults. Elliot was about to tell everyone to gather around the table for dinner when another voice stopped him.

"May I say something?" a white-gloved finger pointed in the air as the rotund man in red stood up.

Elliot bit his lip for a moment, and then said, "Of course, Santa." He eyed Olivia nervously.

Santa cleared his throat and began, "I do have a very busy evening ahead of me, so I'm afraid," he looked at Dickie and then at Kathleen. "I must depart. But before I go, one little girl told me her Christmas wish, in person, tonight, and what kind of Saint would I be if I refused to grant it?" He moved over to Elliot and pulled the silver box out of his pocket. "Now, you all know...I always know who's bad or good, naughty or nice, and I always know…" he looked down at Olivia, smiled, and said, "When people are trying to do the right thing." He brought his eyes to Elliot again. "I have seen you and your partner, here, trying to hide something here tonight. I've seen you drop each other's hands when you think I might be looking, I've seen you sneak a kiss or two by the couch and I've watched you try to keep the people in this room from seeing...the most beautiful love."

Elliot gasped slightly, he reached for Olivia's hand and exhaled when she took it. "Um, well, we…"

"I know," Santa said, "Santa always knows. Now, I was asked to make sure this got to you tonight," he held out the silver package. "And to make sure that your wish comes true, too. So, Elliot, on Christmas Eve, I grant your children's wish...now grant your own." He dropped the box into Elliot's open palm, and as fast as he could, he left the room, knowing there were a few moments hanging in the air.

Elliot looked down at the box, then over to his kids. "You all...you knew about this?"

Maureen nodded. Kathleen shrugged. Lizzie rocked her heels. Dickie huffed and said, "Well, yeah! Grandma talks really loud."

A chorus of laughter erupted as Bernie Stabler blushed from her spot behind the couch. "Well," she said, changing the subject, "Go on, dear."

Elliot cleared his throat, slowly sank to his knees in front of Olivia, and held out the silver package to her. "Merry Christmas," he whispered.

She took the box, slipped the red bow off of it, peeled away the silver wrapping, and when the baby blue patent leather came into view, she looked at Elliot. He'd gone white, he was shaking, but he leaned in and nudged her nose with his. "Open it?" she asked, nudging him back.

He blew out hard through an open mouth, then slowly flipped the lid of the hinged box. "Liv," he spoke breathlessly, the tremble clear on the small word. "Will you…" he paused, he slowly turned his head to look at each confused face, people who didn't even know they were dating were now watching him propose. He blinked as his gaze shifted to his kids, smiling and holding their breath. They wanted this to happen, they'd planned for it, even asked Santa for help when it became clear he had chickened out. Finally, he saw someone else, the red suit and fake beard now gone, staring at him with glistening eyes. The man who'd become a father to both him and Olivia, Captain Cragen, nodded once at him. He licked his lips and looked back up at Olivia, shook the ring box lightly in his hand, and asked the question everyone now knew was coming. "Will you marry me?"

A tear slowly rolled out of the corner of Olivia's wide-open left eye as she nodded, afraid to blink. "Yes," she said, and then a bit louder she declared, "Yes!"

The room filled with applause and there were sniffles and shouts and whistles as the newly engaged couple kissed, and then Elliot pulled Olivia out of her chair and into his arms. He pulled her along, making their way through the room, shaking hands and getting congratulated by friends, until they reached the doorway. "Cap," Elliot said softly, "I know we never…"

"I know. I kept the two of you so damn afraid of so much as calling each other by your first names." Cragen interrupted as he chuckled once. "I wouldn't have told me either," he joked, and then he looked at Olivia. "He makes you happy?"

"Incredibly," she replied. She squeezed Elliot's hand, and then she said, "It's been a little over a year, so we…" she inhaled, looked at her new fiancee, and then said, "We're ready for whatever…" she turned back to Cragen. "Whatever you're going to do." She nodded firmly as if reporting for duty.

Cragen closed his eyes and kissed her cheek, and then slapped Elliot on the shoulder. "I am…" he saw the slight fear in their eyes, and he smiled. "I am going to go over to the table, find a seat, have an amazing Christmas Eve dinner with my family, and on Friday morning…" he looked toward Olivia. "I need you to fill out a few forms for me."

Olivia's heart broke as her lower lip began to quiver, but she nodded, understanding. "Okay," she said, trying to smile. "Just don't give him another woman, I already have to…"

Cragen stopped her by grabbing her chin with his right hand. He looked into her eyes and grinned. "HR needs your new address, I mean, I'm pretty sure you live here and not in that apartment that's on the form, and if you file a name change now, it'll be quick and painless when you two get married."

"What?" Elliot shouted, wide-eyed, his heart hammering. "You...you're not...we don't have to…"

"You said it yourself, you've been together for a year," Cragen raised one brow. "I know it's longer than that, but I'll let you keep that secret. You worked through it, better than ever, actually. So no, you're not being split up, and I'm not firing you. Just...keep it out of the squadroom," he winked at Elliot. "Merry Christmas."

Elliot pulled Olivia into his arms, into a deep, relieved kiss, oblivious to his four happy children standing behind him. "See, Maureen?" Lizzie said with a knowing smile. "I told you Santa would take care of everything."

**A/N: Next: Someone who's been gone for far too long comes home on Christmas to find everything has changed. **


	9. Everything Has Changed

**A/N: Someone comes back after a long time away...they come home for Christmas to find that everything has changed. **

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and all related plot/characters originally belong to Dick Wolf. This story, words, and dialogue are mine. © TStabler **

As she pulled up to the house on Castleside Street, she narrowed her eyes. She remembered it being blue, but it had been over a year since she'd left, maybe she remembered wrong. It's bright white siding was illuminated by swoops of pine garland and twinkling lights, dotted with huge red bows at each peak. It made her smile as she parked her car, took a deep breath, and stepped out of the black sedan, letting her heeled boots sink into the snow.

She took another deep breath as she closed the car door, smoothed down her red peacoat, and pushed her glasses up further on her nose. She swished her blonde bangs out of her eyes and nodded, determined to get what she wanted this Christmas, now that there was nothing standing in her way.

She walked up the cobblestone path, smiling at the candy cane lights that lined it on either side. She laughed at the huge inflatable decorations: Mickey and Minnie Mouse, each wearing a Santa hat, holding hands, Donald and Daisy Duck in winter coats and scarves kissing under the mistletoe, Pluto chewing on a large dog bone with a red bow on top. "Disney," she chuckled, "For the kids," she decided.

From her spot on the porch, she could hear the chatter and laughter and music coming from inside the house, and her face fell. She had read about his divorce, assumed he'd be alone tonight, and it was the only reason she'd bothered coming out to Queens on Christmas Eve. She began to shake, just a bit, knowing that she'd have to see so many other people she'd been away from for so long. She dragged her leather gloved hand through her long blonde hair again, held her breath, and pushed the doorbell.

She watched and waited, seeing the wreath move before the door, and she backed up slightly to be sure that when he answered the door, he got a full view of her. She plastered on a smile and when the door finally swung open, she said, "Hi, Elliot."

Elliot blinked twice, saying nothing, unmoving. "Um," he blinked again and brought his left hand up to the back of his neck. "Hi?" It came out like a question, his head bent in confusion. "Are you...what are you doing here?" He looked out at the street. "You're alone?"

She nodded and then shrugged with open arms. "I know, it's a shock, huh? I just…" she stepped forward. "There were a few things I didn't get to say when I left, things I never got the chance to tell you, and then…" she laughed once. "And then, you know, I couldn't…"

"Close the door," a voice called from inside the house. The voice grew closer and closer, saying, "You're letting the heat out, baby. Who's at the…" the voice broke once the owner of it appeared beside Elliot. "Holy shit."

Elliot watched almost helplessly as there was a silent moment of the two women staring each other down. "Liv," he whispered, looping a hand around the waist of the woman next to him, "Calm down." He kissed her cheek, getting her attention, and then kissed her lips. "We knew she was coming back...eventually." He kissed her again quickly and then looked back at the woman on his porch. "Alex, you were saying something?"

Alex Cabot froze in place. Her cheeks were reddening in the cold as memories fluttered in her mind. Moments where it seemed like Elliot Stabler, hunky detective, was flirting with her, a simple lawyer. It was the thought that she'd kept in the back of her mind; he had killed someone for her, he had shot the man who had almost killed her, that had to have meant something. "Did you just…" she pointed. "You kissed her?" She looked back into the eyes of Olivia Benson, her former friend, and Elliot's partner. "He kissed you. Why did he kiss you?"

Elliot cleared his throat. "Why don't...uh, why don't you come in. Liv's right, it's freezing out here and there's a lot going on in here, I can't keep the door open." He pulled Olivia aside, letting Alex step into the foyer.

Alex took her scarf and coat off as she craned her neck and looked into the living room. A huge, full pine tree took up one full corner of the room. The ornaments and lights were expertly hung, tinsel draped elegantly on each bough, and a beautifully unique topper adorned the crown. Two angels, holding hands, dancing. She blinked and as she hung her coat on the hook to her right, she eyed the fireplace. A roaring blaze filled the room with a peaceful glow, and the nine evenly spaced Christmas stockings were hung on mantle hooks at the perfect angle. She read off the names, only six of which she recognized, and she felt her heart shatter even more. Olivia's stocking was right beside Elliot's, in the middle. Her eyes moved, then, to the party itself. People who'd thought she was dead mixed and mingled with people she'd never seen before, and she let out a heavy breath. She turned to Elliot. "Can we talk?" she asked, and she pointed in the direction of the kitchen. "Before I go in there?"

Elliot nodded, still holding Olivia, and led Alex through the side hallway into the kitchen. He leaned against the side counter, pulling Olivia in front of him, wrapped both of his arms around her, and rested his head on her shoulder. "I, uh, I'm sorry we aren't more...I mean, we're happy to see you, trust me, we are. We, uh, we just didn't expect…"

"We?" Alex broke in, and she watched Olivia smile and turn her head, kissing Elliot again. She noticed, then, their hands, clutched together around Olivia's waist, rings on each one's left. "You, uh...you're a 'we"...you're married?"

Elliot nodded, grinning. "It happened fast, I gotta admit. Not us, just...getting married…" he moved his right hand, lifting it to scratch behind his ear. "The night you...died, I guess, we couldn't sleep. We stayed up just...talking, and when I told her...God, I saw that son of a bitch shoot you, and then he aimed for Liv and I…" the pain of the memory stopped his words as he dropped his head to Olivia's. "I told her...I wouldn't be able to live with it if anything like that ever happened again, and we were left wondering, left with regrets." He nuzzled her nose with his and kissed her softly. "I asked her to marry me, she said yes, I told her I meant…"

"Right now," Olivia chuckled, remembering the very rash and somewhat crazy decision they'd made. "We walked over to City Hall, signed a couple of forms, and…"

"You just got divorced a year ago," Alex interrupted, stinging with confusion and slight anger. "I've only been gone for...wait, explain this to me, because I could have sworn you were married. Maybe not happily, but married nonetheless, to Kathy...when I...when I left, you two were just partners, I thought…"

"He and Kathy were having problems long before you even met him, Alex," Olivia said gently. "They were separated for a while, and that's when we…"

"Please, Liv, the woman came back from the dead for this, she deserves the truth," Elliot laughed, crossing his arms back over Olivia's stomach. "Yeah, we were having what some would consider an affair...for a long time. We kept it pretty well hidden, we were together for years, so once I was legally declared no longer married to Kathy, I jumped right into marriage number two with this one," he smiled at Alex, but he saw the hidden feelings in her eyes. "Kathy and me, uh, we were actually divorced...for a few months before everything happened with Zapata, so it was more than a year ago. Why did you think…"

"I had an online subscription to _The Times, The Post, The Centinel_...it was in the society pages, October third of last year, I'd only been gone two days and I…"

Elliot raised a hand, stopping her, "Yeah, um...I don't think you read the whole thing. Fucking Kurt Moss, getting some kind of revenge. He got a hold of the court records and...October third, that was the day we got married. Well, not the big wedding, just the…" he saw Alex's face grow pale and he stiffened, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. "Baby, we should get back out there. Dickie shouldn't be anywhere near fire unsupervised and Lizzie is probably trying to wrap Len and put him under the tree." He slapped his wife's ass and goaded her out into the living room, and then moved over to Alex. "What's up with you? You of all people should have seen it. You had to have known we were together, and finding out we got married...I thought you'd be doing a happy dance or…"

Alex didn't know why, what propelled her forward, but she kissed Elliot. Lips against lips for the briefest of moments before she felt him push her away. "Sorry, I...I just…" she exhaled, trying to ignore the furious look on Elliot's face as he wiped his mouth with his arm. "I came here tonight because I thought that you'd be alone, I wanted to tell you…"

"Don't tell me," Elliot barked harshly. "Look, I know how hard things have been for you. I mean, trust me, if anyone knows what life undercover is like it's me and Liv, but you can not just come back into our lives on Christmas fucking Eve and expect everything to be the way it was! Things obviously changed!" He shook his head. "And what the hell even gave you the idea that you could kiss me? That I would want you to?"

Alex balked. She'd misread signs, and she had heard him before, he'd killed the man who shot her because he was still firing and aiming at Olivia. He didn't kill out of revenge for her, he'd been protecting Olivia. She sniffled and held back a cry, nodding, and said, "I'm so sorry, I just...was hoping…" she shrugged it off and then asked, "You said...um...who's Len?"

Elliot smiled at the mention of the name and he gestured to Alex to follow him into the living room. _Jingle Bell Rock _hit his ears and he began to dance wildly with an exaggerated smile on his face, making his way over to Olivia who was holding a four-month-old baby. "This," he said, lifting the boy into his own arms, "Is Len. Lennon Oliver Stabler." He kissed the top of the baby's head and laughed when the tot squealed and giggled.

Alex looked at Olivia. "You're a mommy?" she asked, fresh tears welling up in her eyes for a different reason.

Olivia sucked her lower lip between her teeth and nodded fast. "I am," she said with a bright smile. She leaned over and made a face at Lennon, earning another loud laugh. "He was a pleasant surprise," she chuckled.

Elliot hooked one arm around her shoulders and kissed her temple. "Very pleasant," he winked, and he looked back at Alex.

Alex smiled at the baby, waved playfully, and then looked up at Elliot. "How old is he?"

"Four months," he said, and he blushed. "He, uh...well...um...the night you…" he tilted his head down toward the baby.

Alex inhaled, realizing, and said, "Oh," with a small laugh. "You two work fast." She looked over to the fireplace again, and she cocked her head to the side as she pointed over to it. "There's a stocking over there...that says Riley," she stated, and she folded her arms and rested two fingers of one hand on the rim of her glasses. "Who's that?"

Olivia blushed. "We don't really know her yet," she said, and then she shrugged. "Just her name."

Alex looked on as Elliot's face brightened, and he shifted Lennon further up on one arm as the other smoothed down Olivia's body and his hand flattened out over her stomach. "You're pregnant," she almost whispered. She saw Olivia nod as a tear rolled down her cheek.

"We could have more," Elliot said, shooting his eyes toward Alex. "I mean, we were never careful, so I'm not sure how he's our first," Elliot said with a hint of arrogance, "But God, we're lucky he was. I can't even imagine how we'd have explained…"

Olivia covered his mouth with her hand and shook her head. "Don't even say it," she said as she rolled her eyes.

"And, um, what about...who's Finn?" she asked, referring to yet another stocking with an unfamiliar name. "You're not having twins, are you?"

"No, Finn's the dog," Olivia laughed. "Finneus. But, uh, you know, Fin wasn't too thrilled when he found out we named the dog after him, but now," she jutted a thumb over her shoulder, indicating Fin Tutola roughly playing with a large golden Labrador, "He wouldn't have it any other way."

Alex laughed, awkwardly waving at Fin, who had stopped playing with the dog and started staring at her.

She looked at her guests, some of whom were staring and whispering. Fin was still ignoring the dog's whimpering, John Munch was peering at them over his spectacles, and Captain Cragen had a crooked smile on his face. "Honey, I think some of the guys realized…" she darted her eyes toward Alex.

Elliot nodded, cleared his throat, and yelled, "Alexa, pause!"

The house went quiet, but for the sound of Finn growling lightly in an attempt to get someone's attention. All eyes turned to Elliot and Olivia, and he smiled at his guests. "Thank you all, so much, for being here, tonight. This has been an incredibly emotional year, for…" he looked down at his son, over to Olivia, and then back to Alex before readdressing the room, "For a lot of reasons. You have all been there for us through divorces, deaths, weddings, births, and we'd like to not only celebrate Christmas but to celebrate the gifts we've been given throughout the past year. Including...getting back what was lost." He nodded at Alex. "Many of you thought Alex Cabot was killed last year. She was actually...in WitPro, waiting for us to get enough dirt on the son of a…" he eyed his children and smirked before clearing his throat. "The big, old meanie who hurt her to convict him. We did, and she's back to make sure he gets what he deserves. So please, before we eat, drink, and continue to be merry...let's raise a glass to…" he paused and looked at Olivia, rubbing over her stomach again, causing people to gasp and clap, "All the other gifts that God granted us before we open the ones under the tree."

There were shouts and hollers, applause and "amens," and Elliot kissed Olivia softly again.

Rolling his eyes, Dickie Stabler crossed his nine-year-old arms and shouted, "Alexa, play _Get A Room._"

Laughter filled the air as a new song began to play, and Elliot handed Lennon back to Olivia. He kissed the baby's face and then Olivia's lips, and then he moved to mingle with his guests again.

Olivia hiked Lennon up onto her hip, moving closer to Alex. She lowered her voice and said, "Because it's Christmas, and my husband is incredibly Catholic...and because you literally just came back from the dead...I'm not going to kill you." She narrowed her eyes. "You ever even think about kissing him again, it won't matter what the hell day it is."

Alex backed up and raised both hands. "Already apologized," she said. "I swear, I...it shouldn't have happened, it won't happen again."

Olivia's face relaxed into a soft smile and she leaned in to hug Alex. "Welcome home," she whispered. "And Merry Christmas."

**A/N: Next: Someone wants to spend Christmas alone, but someone else...has other plans. There may be...heat. **


	10. Not So Lonely Anymore

**A/N: No one wants to be alone on Christmas. Well...if they do...someone else will stop them. **

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and all related plot/characters originally belong to Dick Wolf. This story, words, and dialogue are mine. © TStabler **

Beyond her window, snow whirled through the dark city night. The people outside were rushing to buy last-minute gifts and decorations, shouting at each other to get out of the way. Watching from the safety of her warm apartment, Olivia chuckled. "Suckers," she snickered. She sipped her coffee and took one last look at the way the city sparkled, the Christmas lights twinkling beautifully. It was the one thing about Christmas that she actually liked.

She let the curtains slip through her fingers and she took another sip of her coffee as she made her way over to the couch. Sighing, she sat and then kicked her feet up, leaned back, and took solace in the silence. She gulped down the rest of her java and dropped the mug to the coffee table.

As she leaned back again, she closed her eyes and pulled the soft blanket from the back of the sofa tightly around her. She exhaled and let the remaining tension and craziness of her week at work fall away, and once she was relaxed enough, her thoughts drifted, as they always did, to her partner. She knew that right now, he was probably finishing his wrapping, baking cookies for Santa with his children, taking a hot shower...God, that was a thought she could sleep to.

She was halfway to an amazing fantasy when she was broken out of her lustful haze by the sound of a key turning in the lock. Reaching toward the side table for her gun, she rolled her eyes. She knew who it was, so she sat up, leaned over with her elbows on her knees, and waited for what she was sure he was going to do.

The door swung open; his large frame came to view in the doorway. He looked at her, waved a hand around as he sighed, and he said, "You didn't even put up a tree?"

She chuckled, shaking her head. "What are you doing here, Elliot?"

He shrugged and said, "Where else would I be tonight?" He kicked the door closed and took off his coat, scarf, and hat. He let out a hot breath and moved fast, sitting beside her on the couch. He reached for her mug but grumbled when he found it was empty.

"El," Olivia intoned curiously, watching him with raised brows. "I'll ask again, what are you doing here?"

"It's Christmas Eve," he said flatly, eyeing her as though he couldn't believe she'd ask such a question.

"And you need to be home with the kids," she answered just as matter-of-factly, giving him the same _what are you talking about _expression.

He smirked at her and leaned back, running one hand down his white cable-knit sweater. "No, I, uh...I told Kathy she could take them tonight, as long as I get them tomorrow." He scooted closer until his right knee touched her left, and he said, "You have your phone on you?"

"Yeah," she nodded, "Right here," she reached over to the end table and held up the cell phone.

"Okay," he took it from her. "And it's on! Jesus, I called you four times, I texted you…"

"And I told you yesterday, and at work this morning," she grabbed her phone back from him and slapped it back down on the table. "I'm fine! I'm looking forward to spending the night alone, away from…"

"No one should be alone on Christmas," he whispered, interrupting her. He brushed the back of his hand against her cheek.

"Unless they want to be," she said, unconsciously leaning into his touch. She cleared her throat, sat up straight, and said, "I'm gonna curl up on the couch with a good book, make another cup of coffee…"

"Make me one, too?" He leaned forward and grabbed the empty mug, and then handed it to her with a goofy smile on his face.

She raised one eyebrow and took the mug. "Go home," she scolded, and as she got up to make her way into the kitchen, he grabbed her arm. She turned slowly and looked into his eyes. "El, you're not understanding this. I am fine! I _want _to spend tonight alone, you don't have to…"

"I love you," he interrupted, holding her gaze deeply. He saw her brow drop, her eyes upturn, her lips screw up into a half-pout. "Wow," he hissed, realizing what he'd just said, "I didn't mean to just blurt it out like that, I'm…" he cleared his throat.

Almost immediately, her stomach lurched, her breath quickened. "So you didn't mean…"

"I meant it," he broke in again, and he shot to his feet, ripped the mug out of her hands, and set it down on the coffee table before taking both of her hands in his. "I just didn't want to spit it out like that, I had this whole speech prepared and... it sounds pathetic."

"Speech?" she questioned. Her eyes wandered down to their clasped hands and she smiled slightly. "What...what were you gonna say?" She looked up at him sheepishly. She was scared shitless, but if he went through the trouble of planning out what he was going to say to her, she would do him the honor of listening to every word.

He licked his lips, gripped her hands tighter, and opened his mouth to speak. He paused, raised a finger, and pulled her over to the window, turning her to look out at the Christmas lights illuminating the city below them. "Beautiful, isn't it?" He dropped his chin to her neck and he felt her nod, her ear rubbing against his. He smiled and wrapped both of his arms more firmly around her. "How many people do you think are out there, tonight?"

"A few thousand, it's freezing out there so the smart ones are home," she laughs, and then she sighs when a couple on the sidewalk catches her eye. They were aglow in the light of a street lamp, kissing in the snow. A fleeting thought crossed her mind but she shook it away. "We have the statistics at work, the current population of this God-forsaken city is over eight million."

"Okay," he said, his laugh making his body shake, taking her on a ride. "So out of those eight million people, you were the one that walked into the unit four years ago and...completely turned my fucking world upside fucking down. I've never hated anyone so fast in my life."

She narrowed her eyes and turned slightly to look at him sideways. "Your little speech is not doing you any favors, pal."

"Wait," he chuckled. "I hated you because...I knew that you were about to change my life in ways I wasn't ready for, ways that I thought would get me into so much fucking trouble." He let the side of his face muzzle against hers as he continued. "Think about it. Eight million other people in the city...and it's you that stopped me in my tracks, infuriated me, fascinated me...turned me on more than anyone else ever has, or ever will, and made me question every Goddamned thing I thought I knew about life, love, and myself." He exhaled once. "Eight million other people...thirty-six thousand other cops...seventy-six other precincts...you walk into mine and are given to me. My partner. Mine. That...that is not a fucking coincidence, okay? The way you changed my life...shit, you were _meant_ to walk into the One Six, you were _meant _for me."

"El," she whispered to him, her body now sinking back into his. "What are you…"

"I'm saying," he said, reading her mind the way he always did, "That you may have wanted to be alone tonight, but there is nothing in the whole world that would ever make me want to be alone...without you." He slid one hand up her back and around her neck, cupped her chin, and turned her head to fully look at him. "In the past four years, you have been by my side, every day, mostly every night. You've been my sounding board, my sanctuary, my home. You've made me realize how miserable I was, made me do something about it, and made me the happiest I ever remember being. You've dug out every skeleton from my closet and unearthed every secret I have...except this one." He skimmed away a tear rolling down her cheek, and he leaned into her. "I am...desperately in love with you. There's not a single fucking thing I can do to stop it, and believe me I have tried everything, so tonight...Christmas Eve... I decided that I really don't give a shit if you sit there and read your book or have your wild night on the couch, but you're not doing it _alone. _I am here, promising you that you will never do anything _alone _again. I love you, and I know...I mean, I hope... I can feel it, baby, you love me." He swallowed hard, unsure now. "Don't you?"

She knew she was crying now, and she hated herself for it, but she sniffled and nodded. "Yeah," she whispered, almost ashamed to say it. It had been something she'd thought was well hidden, something she thought no one, especially him, would never find out. Now, in front of her window, on Christmas Eve, wearing a pair of NYPD flannel pants and a tee-shirt she'd stolen out of Elliot's locker three years ago, she confessed. "I do."

"Say it," he breathed, moving his lips closer to hers. When she said nothing, he repeated it, his lips moving lightly against hers as he spoke.

She inhaled, the scent of expensive aftershave, coffee, and something purely, uniquely _Elliot_ filled her lungs. On a soft moan, she said, "I love you."

His lips were on hers instantly; his hands swerved around the race-track of her body as his fingertips tugged and pulled at the cotton of her clothes. His tongue roamed, explored the depths of her very soul, as his knuckles grazed her nipples. He gasped, feeling them pebble under his touch, and he grew bolder.

She whimpered when his thumbs mover over her sensitive buds again, her hands curled, fingernails digging into the flesh of his arms. Her body rocked into his, causing them both to cry out, and she obeyed when he pushed her backward. Slowly they moved toward the bedroom door, dropping articles of clothing along the way.

He didn't even realize they made it to the bed until his knees hit the mattress and buckled. His tight hold pulled her down with him, their kiss never once breaking. His left hand slid down and he groaned when he felt nothing but smooth, hot skin. They'd managed to shed every bit of clothing on the way to where they were now. "God," he panted, his lungs giving out in the need for oxygen.

"We should slow down," she breathed, but the way she dragged her nails down his chest proved she didn't mean it. Not at all.

He felt her grind her hips down into him; he shivered, feeling how wet she was. Slowly, he dragged his palms up, over her hips, down to her ass. He cupped and squeezed and shifted beneath her, his cock sliding between and through her slick folds. "Baby," he moaned, his eyes rolling back, "Fuck."

Her heart pounded and she knew he was holding back, exerting more self-control than he realized he had. "Elliot," she whimpered, her lips grazing the thin skin of his neck. "It's okay. I'm right here, with you. Please." Then she let her teeth sink into his pulsating neck, muffling her cry as he thrust his hips hard and filled her completely.

"Oh, my God," he growled, his voice like finely milled gravel. He held still, letting her adjust to the intrusion while relishing in the way she felt around him. He silently prayed, thanking God for the absolute greatest Christmas gift he'd ever received. "Liv," his voice was barely audible.

She curled around him, her back arching, and she rolled her body in waves, synchronized with his thrusting. "God, Elliot," she cried, throwing her head back.

It wasn't enough for him; it was too much at the same time. He growled her name and then grunted, flipping her over. He bent her legs up, hooking them over his shoulders, and he began moving faster. Harder. Deeper. He'd been waiting for this for so long, he knew it wasn't going to last far beyond the moment. "Look at me," he spat when her eyes closed. "Baby, look at me." He wanted so badly to watch her eyes as she came; it would be the perfect Christmas wish come true.

Her eyes fluttered as they opened, her nails clawed into his bare back leaving red drag marks as she pawed at him. "El," she warned, her spine arcing.

"I know, baby," he breathed, slamming into her. His hips slapped against hers with wet smacks, his grunts simultaneous. "Fuck, Liv, baby, I didn't…" and with another grunt, he dropped his head and kissed her, pulling her lower lip with his teeth as he pulled away.

She smiled at him and struggled to keep her focus on him, her vision blurring with tears and the need to blink. Her body burned, every muscle singing _The Hallelujah Chorus_, and her jaw dropped when she felt herself losing grip.

"God, Liv," he ground out, feeling her tighten too much for him to move. "Shit, baby." He stared into her eyes as he felt her body contracting around his, fire coursing through him, until her orgasm triggered his, milking him, making him cry out her name in a low rumbling yell. He shot into her, grunting, and he kissed her as he tried to thrust through her tightness one more time. When his hips cracked against hers, he stopped moving, kept kissing her as he convulsed and pulsed.

Her breath caught in her throat as she rode out the wave, feeling him twitch inside of her. Her legs relaxed slightly, her body sank into the bed beneath her, but her arms stayed looped around his neck as she kissed him slowly.

He let himself fall to her and rolled them over again. He moved his hands from her back to her face. He cupped her cheeks, feeling hot tears hit his fingernails. "I love you," he whispered against her lips. "I love you so much."

She pulled back from him, looking down into his red, wet eyes. She sniffled and laughed, nuzzled him, kissed him again, and whispered. "I love you, too."

Pressing his forehead up and against hers, he smiled and said, "You still wish you were alone?"

"God, no," she chuckled, running her right hand up and down his chest gently. "And El?"

He kissed her lips. "What baby?"

She smiled down at him. "Merry Christmas."

**A/N: Next: When a trip to the mall to see Santa leads to an unexpected wish being made, it takes a Christmas miracle to grant it. **


	11. Thank You, Santa

**A/N: When a child makes a Christmas wish directly to Santa, how can it be refused?**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and all related plot/characters originally belong to Dick Wolf. This story, words, and dialogue are mine. © TStabler **

**November 26th**

"Come on, Liv!" Lizzie Stabler bounced up and down, waving over to the woman standing off to the side.

"No," Olivia said, smiling softly. She shook the shopping bags in her hands. "No, this is for your family Christ…"

"Liv," Elliot interrupted, gesturing for her to move forward, "Get in here! I thought you knew you'd be in the picture!" He waved at her again.

Soon, all four Stabler kids and their father were beckoning her to join them around the big red couch, surrounding the mall Santa.

She rolled her eyes and bit her lip, the cries of her name, and "come on" and "please" and "we're holding up the line" finally getting to her. "Okay, okay," she submitted. She took off her coat and dropped the bags next to an annoyed looking elf and then made her way into the frame. She laughed as Elliot pulled her flush against him, standing behind Santa, who had Lizzie and Dickie on his lap. Maureen and Kathleen sat on either side of the man in the red suit. They all smiled brightly, waiting.

Just as the photographer got to "three," Elliot planted a kiss on Olivia's cheek, making her close her eyes and smile. The flash went off then, making Olivia gasp lightly. "Um...wait, we should…" she protested.

"Got it!" The photographer elf chirped. And she waved the children off of and away from Santa. "Next?"

"We need to take another one!" Olivia spat, nervous. The picture was going to be the Stabler family Christmas card this year. Something his entire family and most of their mutual friends would receive. People who shouldn't see him kissing her. He shouldn't have kissed her. Why did he pick that moment to kiss her?

Elliot grabbed Olivia's hand, grabbed their bags, and then pulled her around to the counter where they looked at the photo. "Wow," he said, emotion building. "We all look…" he swallowed. "We look happy." He paid for the picture, shouting at his kids to get their coats on and get moving.

The other kids were ready and waiting, standing huddled behind their father and Olivia as he paid for the photos, but Dickie was still on Santa's lap, whispering to him.

"Dickie! Come on!" Elliot shouted, seeing the angry crowd growing more impatient.

Dickie smiled as he hopped off Santa's lap. The eight year old tugged on his coat and said, "Sorry! I just...had something I needed to ask him." He took a breath, let it out, and as he followed his family toward the next store, he whispered his Christmas wish to his twin sister.

Lizzie giggled, gave her brother a high five, and skipped alongside him.

Black Friday was suddenly anything but black.

**December 2nd**

"It smells amazing in here," Elliot said with a satisfied sigh. He tossed his coat over the back of the reclining chair and looked around, smiling. The tree in the corner beside the fireplace twinkled and winked at him; the stockings and holly on the mantle made him smile, especially the newest addition to the group: Olivia's.

He breathed in deeply, the cinnamon and pine filling his lungs again, and he chuckled as he pulled the knot out of his tie and headed into the kitchen. "What are you making?" he asked, stepping up behind Olivia. He looked over her shoulder, resting his chin in the crook of her neck.

She laughed and shrugged him off of her. "Dinner," she said flatly. Turning to him, she asked, "How'd it go?"

His smile faded and he rubbed a hand down his face. "Well, I need to sell the truck, give her half. She's entitled to half of everything in both joint accounts...but she can't touch any of the money in mine or the kids' accounts. I'm just glad this bullshit with her is finally...over." He exhaled and let himself smile again.

It had been a year since his ex-wife left him for good. The legal battles that had raged on for the last eleven months took their toll on him, but he looked at Olivia and knew she was the reason his family didn't fall apart at the seams. She'd stepped into the role of mother and wife as soon as he asked her to stay with him, bringing their less than moral relationship to new heights and deeper love.

He looked at her again as he pushed his thoughts aside, leaned in, and pressed his lips gently to hers. "It's all over." He whispered into her ear, "So we can really begin, baby." His lips captured hers again.

From just beyond the kitchen archway, Dickie stared at them, silently thanking Santa for getting a head start on making his wish come true.

**December 8th**

"How long has it been?" Fin asked, helping Elliot set up some lawn decorations on the hill in front of his house.

Elliot pulled a cord and plugged in the inflatable snowman. "Since?"

Fin eyed him as he pulled apart the vinyl of a blow-up decoration. "You and Liv, man. She's still living with you, helping you through this shit with Kathy. You can't tell me it's just her being a good partner anymore. Kathy walked out on your ass a year ago. Something is going on. How long?"

"Loaded question," Elliot snorted. He wasn't sure how honest he could be at the moment . "But officially...uh,a year," he said. "Unofficially...a hell of a lot longer than that," and then he stood up straight and pointed at Fin. "Not a word. Not one fucking word."

"Who do you think I'm gonna tell?" Fin scoffed. He knelt down to plug in the giant snow globe he'd been fussing with. "Is it serious?"

"Yeah," Elliot replied, biting his lip. "But...my divorce was just finalized after what feels like an eternity. We're just starting to feel normal again, especially with the kids. I got her out of her lease, I know she's not going anywhere, I just...I don't want to scare her. I know what I want, but…" he shook his head and stepped back to look at the display. He smirked as he watched the snowman dance and the snow whirl around in the globe.

Fin turned his head and looked at Elliot. "You really think you could scare Benson?"

Elliot shrugged, then moved to straighten out the crooked snowman.

Dickie watched from the front door, hearing everything. He smiled and said to no one, "Don't worry, Daddy. Santa promised." He turned and headed back into the living room, wondering if Santa was really going to keep his promise after all.

**December 13th**

"Dad!" Maureen ran down the hall, heading right for her father. She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed. She pulled away and gave the same hard hug to Olivia. "You're here!"

Olivia brushes her hand along the twelve year old's cheek. "Of course we are, sweetie," she said with a warm smile.

"Aren't you gonna get in trouble for leaving work?" Maureen asked, looking at her father.

"Nah," he chuckled. "Our captain knows that our kids come first." He winked at his daughter. "Where are your sisters and brother?"

"In the gym," she said brightly, and she grabbed her father's hand in one of hers and Olivia's in the other, leading them toward the Saint Benedict's Family Christmas Party.

Olivia follows along, giving Elliot a slightly confused look. He'd just called _his _kids _our _kids.

He turned to her, smiled, then leaned over and kissed her quickly. When he looked ahead again, his son was smiling brightly and waving excitedly at them.

Dickie had seen him kiss her, and he did a little happy dance. "Twelve days," he said, looking up, reminding Santa that he was running out of time.

**December 19th**

"Okay," Olivia clapped once as she took a step back and looked around the living room. "That's it," she turned to look at Elliot. "Guest room is set up, the sofa bed works, you are officially ready for your family to invade your house."

He laughed, but he moved closer to her. "Not just mine," he whispered, reaching for her. He hooked three fingers under her chin and said, "Your mother will be here, too. Our family. Invading our house." He narrowed his eyes and said, "You, uh, you know that, right? Everything...is ours."

She tilted her head. "El, you don't have to say that. I know what we are, you don't have make your…"

He pulled her closer, kissed her hard, his tongue worked her mouth open to delve deeper. "Baby," he mumbled into her mouth, "Look at me." He pulled back and held her gaze, taking in her reddening lips and flushed cheeks. "I love you. You are my everything and...baby, we...we have been together long enough...I want to tell them. We should tell them."

"If you're...if you're sure," she whispered. And then she moaned when he kissed her again, his arms looping around her.

From the top of the stairs, Dickie laughed to himself. "Getting closer, Santa," he whispered as he walked himself back to his bedroom with a smile.

**December 24th**

"Everyone's asleep," Olivia said, softly shutting the bedroom door. It popped back open just a bit. "I figured we'd wait about an hour before we go down and put the presents under the tree."

"Baby, uh," Elliot crawled over the bed and grabbed her hands, making her sit down beside him. "Maybe a bit longer than that?"

She saw the way he was looking at her and rolled her eyes. "Your mother is in the next room!"

He chuckled. "Well, no, I didn't mean…" he gave up speaking and got off of the bed, pulling her over to the window seat. He sat, pulled her into his lap, and said, "It's Christmas Eve, it's snowing, you're right here where you belong, in my arms."

"I'm starting to not give a shit who's in the next room," she said, dropping her forehead to his.

He chuckled as he kissed her and whispered, "Good." He pushed her up a bit, slid down to his knees in front of her, and peered up at her with nothing but our adoration on his face. "You have always been there for me, always. Whether I needed to cry, hit something...you gave me whatever I needed." He looked down at the carpet and said, "Even when it meant...when it was…"

"Hey," she said softly to him, lifting his chin back up. "You did the same for me. There were nights we both needed to feel something...that we could only feel with each other. You never took anymore than you gave, and I know...El, I know it was more than sex, even that first time...if was just...us." She shrugged and wiped the tears from under his eyes. "What's going on?" Her heart filled with cold terror. "You want me to go?"

His eyes widened as he pressed his lips together and shook his head. He shoved one hand in the pocket of his sweatpants and brought something out of it, slowly lifting it to her. "I never want you to leave." He bit his lip as he flipped the lid of the small box.

Dickie walked back from the bathroom, stopping to look through the cracked open door to his father's bedroom. He gasped, tears filling his small blue eyes, and he ran back to his bedroom before Santa realized he was awake and took back his early gift.

**December 25th **

With the table cleared, presents unwrapped and piled up, and the blended family sitting in the parlor around the fire, Elliot cleared his throat and stood up.

"Uh, thank you all...so much, for spending such a special day with us." He looked at his mother and smiled, shot his brother a playfully rude gesture, and then took Olivia's hand. "We waited until now to tell you...though I'm sure some of you noticed…" he exhaled as he pulled Olivia to his feet. "Last night, uh…" he glanced at his children, looked into their waiting and eager eyes. "Before Santa came, I asked Liv to marry me."

There were gasps, cheers, applause, and a few sniffles coming from the mothers, his and hers, who'd started crying.

"What'd she say?" Elliot's brother asked, folding his arms.

Elliot narrowed his eyes and threw a crumpled ball of wrapping paper at him. "Moron," he spat.

"I said...yes," Olivia chuckled, leaning into Elliot as she held up her left hand to show off her ring.

Elliot kissed her forehead as the family shouted and cheered and congratulated them, but he looked at Dickie, who was crying by the tree. He pulled himself away from Olivia and knelt down to his son. "Kiddo, what...what's the matter? I thought you loved Liv."

Dickie nodded. "I do. So much. I'm just...happy, Daddy." He sobbed and wiped his eyes. "When...we went to see Santa... I asked him to give me one thing on Christmas. He said he didn't think he could but he'd try. And he did." He wrapped his little arms around his father and said, "I asked him to give us Liv. Forever. I asked for...her to really be my mom."

"Oh, kid," Elliot breathed, holding his son tightly. "We both got the best Christmas gift ever, didn't we?"

Dickie nodded, staring over toward Olivia, his eyes still glistening with tears. "Thank you, Santa," he whispered, closing his eyes and letting his father carry him toward the table. Toward Olivia. Toward his wish.

**A/N: After a rough Christmas Eve, someone finally gets himself a present he's wanted for years. But what happens on Christmas Day?**


	12. All I Want For Christmas

**A/N: After a rough Christmas Eve, someone finally gets himself a present he's wanted for years. But what happens on Christmas Day?**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and all related plot/characters originally belong to Dick Wolf. This story, words, and dialogue are mine. © TStabler **

She doesn't remember exactly how it happened, only that it actually fucking happened. She can still feel him, in her, around her. She can feel him thrusting, his hands slipping over every inch of her scarred, bruised, imperfect body, his lips kissing each and every battle wound and badge of courage. She'd done the same to him, her mouth memorizing him like a road map.

"Fuck," she grits out, running a hand over her lower abdomen, sore from the most incredible night of her entire life. She smiles, then, trying to count how many times they'd fucked, how many times he made her cum, how many times he came. She was never very good at math, but she knows it's some sort of world record. "Shit," her eyes close and she drops her head, the morning sun peeking up over the Central Park trees, and she wonders if it will bring heartbreak with it. If anyone has the power to break her heart, it's Elliot Stabler.

She blinks once and turns away from the window, glancing back at the bed. He's still asleep, naked beneath the thick red comforter, and she bites her lip, remembering. He'd been a pain in the ass at work; his temper had flared more than usual. He'd almost broken a suspect's arm, punched a few lockers, and he'd downed more coffee than he would have on any other day. He'd pulled her into an empty room, hugged her in silence for a moment, and finally confided in her the reason for his tantrum. "She wants the kids for Christmas," he'd said.

He'd told her it didn't matter, he wasn't about to let her have them, but his fury stemmed from the way it had happened."She didn't even say anything to them, just fucking told me to have them ready, like they were a couple of microwave pizzas," he'd choked out, just before their captain had sent them home for the holidays. She hadn't been expecting him, but he'd shown up sometime after dark. He'd used his key, didn't knock, and had spent a full minute staring at her as she'd sat on the couch, confused. He hadn't said a single word to her as he'd dropped his coat and hat and crawled on top of her. He'd kissed her for all she was worth, pulling away his clothes as he delved deeper into her. "All I want for Christmas," he'd whispered, and then he'd pulled her up with little resistance, led her into the bedroom, and loved her until he absolutely couldn't anymore.

That's what it had been, he'd promised her over and over again. The words _I love you_ had left his mouth almost as much as _God _and _fuck_ and it had been the most spectacularly satisfying experience of their lives. And the second most. And the third. Until every other mediocre memory had completely disappeared and had been replaced by this one, perfect night.

She blinks again, the memory popping like a red balloon, and she takes a step forward and sighs. Christmas Eve was never high on her list of favorite days, but hell, it is now. She hopes like hell that he isn't going to regret any of it because, God fucking damn it, she wants it to happen all over again. She sits on the edge of her bed and reaches for him, but pulls her hand back just before she touches him. She sniffles and that's when she realizes she's crying. When it hits her that the night was probably his escape, him blowing off steam, letting out the pent-up frustration. The night was simply a way that he wouldn't have to face his problems, so he wouldn't have to spend Christmas Eve in bed alone. "Oh, God," she breathes, "What have we done?"

She knows they've been flirting more often, taking lewd jokes too far, grabbing each other playfully. They've been spending more time together since his marriage ended, and they've taken a few of the chances they'd always been afraid to take. She is fully aware that they've been blurring the line between them for years, and now that his wife was out of the picture, it didn't really exist anymore at all. It didn't stop her from thinking the worst; she always thinks the worst. She sniffles again and shifts further to the edge of the bed.

The sound of her light sobs rouses him immediately, he's always been incredibly sensitive to her, and he moves fast, pulling her into his arms. "What's the matter?" he asks, and his lips press to her forehead, and then her cheeks, and then her chin. He's kissing away every tear he can find and isn't until he hears her take a shaky breath that he looks up at her. He sees the confusion and fear etched into her skin and he exhales as he smiles. "Baby," he whispers, "Whatever you're thinking...I promise…" he shakes his head and swallows the urge to cry with her, the night's events playing over and over in his head like a favorite movie, her moans and cries and the way she screams his name ringing in his ears like a favorite song. It makes his dick twitch and his heart pound and he needs to relive it, but he needs to reassure her of something first.

She nods, taking his silence for regret, and says, "It's okay, you can go…"

"I'm not going anywhere. Last night…" he breathes and pulls her into him. "That was me taking the lead, here, and finally getting...and giving...what I know we both wanted for Christmas." He winks at her and when she smiles he kisses her softly. "This had nothing to do with Kathy. I told you, the only reason I was so pissed off is that she pulled this shit on Christmas Eve. But, ya know, when I got to that house...I called my sister to stay with the kids and I came home." He kisses her again. "You, baby. You're my home. You have been since the moment you walked into my life."

She raises one eyebrow and presses her lips together. "You don't…"

He presses a finger to her lips, knowing what she's going to say and not letting her speak it. "Baby, I don't regret a single fucking thing about what happened last night," he tells her, but then he smirks. "Except that it didn't happen sooner. Imagine what our lives could have been like if we did this...the first time we realized we wanted to." He chuckles and kisses her once more, his hands smoothing up her arms. He pulls back and says, "So, uh...it's Christmas." He looks out the window, the sun now bright, making the blanket of snow look like a sheet of glitter.

"Yeah," she whispers, "You need to go home, be with your kids, your mother is probably…"

"Did you hear me?" he interrupts, sliding his fingers underneath the fabric of her silk robe. "You are my home. I finally grew the balls to make a solid move, I guess...because it's clear we were just dancing around this, and because it was Christmas Eve, and God, all I wanted for Christmas this year was you. Shit, as I was falling asleep, I thanked God for you, for last night, because I was fully convinced you'd shoot me the minute I kissed you on the couch."

"So, uh, you got what you wanted for Christmas," she begins, and she tries not to look into his eyes.

"Liv," he whispers softly, and he cups her chin and holds her head in place. "Not just Christmas. I want you, every day, for the rest of my life. I've known that for...fuck, for years." He moves slowly and captures her lips again, once. "I love you," he tells her. "Baby, tell me...you want this. Me. Us. That it wasn't just…"

"God, yes," she laughs, relieved, and she pulls him back to her for another, longer, deeper kiss.

He moans her name against her mouth and pushes the silk off of her shoulders. He shifts, pulling her with him as he flattens out on the bed.

She whimpers as she sinks onto him, soreness giving way to pure bliss, and she rocks with him, slowly. "El," she moans, her eyes rolling back. "God, Elliot," she cries, and she drops her head to his again, now afraid to look anywhere but into his blue eyes. "I love you, too."

He moves as deeply as he can, holds her as close as he can get her, kisses her as though his life depends on it. "Baby," he mumbles. "Merry Christmas."

**A/N: Next: Getting snowed in on Christmas forces a few people to confront some truths and secrets they weren't prepared to face. **


	13. Snowed-In Secrets

**A/N: Getting snowed in lets a lot of secrets out.**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and all related plot/characters originally belong to Dick Wolf. This story, words, and dialogue are mine. © TStabler **

"It's really coming down out there," Elliot looped his arms around Olivia's waist as they both stared out the kitchen window.

"Yeah," Olivia agreed glumly. "At least it made for some beautiful pictures, and we all got to play in the snow with the kids." She smiled at him and said, "We had a wonderful dinner, the White Elephant didn't cause any arguments or injuries," she chuckled, recalling an incident during last year's party when someone's idea of a gag gift went just a bit too far. "And," she continued, "We have a houseful of friends and family. This was like your perfect White Christmas."

"It was," he said. He leaned further into her and whispered hotly into her ear, "But as much as I love the snow, I am praying it lets up soon, I want these people out of the house...because I didn't get to open my present yet." He nipped at her earlobe and moaned. "Neither did you."

His throaty voice and breath in her ear sent chills down her spine, ones that shot directly between her legs. She backed up with a low groan and bit her bottom lip. "They're still here, though, so maybe you shouldn't…"

He kissed her, silencing her protests, his fingers skirting the hem of her deep green sweater.

She moaned softly, bringing her hand up to his cheek, but pulled away quickly and moved back a full foot as she heard footsteps getting louder. Closer.

When Casey Novak walked into the kitchen, it was impossible to tell she'd interrupted a romantic moment. "Hey," she said, looking from Elliot to Olivia and back again, "Stabler, do you have any more of that wine?" She wiggled a long stemmed glass and smiled salaciously at him.

Olivia noticed it, crossed her arms and scoffed, and then looked at Elliot who knowingly smirked and licked his lips.

He nodded, moved to the side of the kitchen, and took his keys out of his pocket. He found a small silver key on the ring and unlocked the liquor cabinet, pulled out a bottle of deep red wine, and handed it to Casey. "Go easy on this one, will ya? I can't have you passing out in the living room. I don't want to have to explain that to my kids."

Casey shrugged, widening her smile, and asked, "What if I passed out somewhere else?"

Elliot raised one eyebrow at her, grimaced, and said, "That's definitely not happening." He shook his head.

"The night's still young," Novak winked and shook the bottle lightly, and then turned and walked back out into the living room.

Elliot didn't even turn to look at Olivia. He chuckled, pulling gently on his dark red turtleneck. "That should be a bigger ego boost for you than me, baby."

"How," she spat, "The fuck?"

He laughed at her irritation, stepped over to her, and kissed her softly. "Because you got me. She wants me, but you got me. Add it to the list of reasons she's fucking jealous of you." He winked at her and left the room, knowing she'd follow, because they had a living room full of guests who couldn't leave.

Follow him she did, and she sat beside him as soon as he plopped himself onto the couch. She noticed there were tense glares being passed around, from a few of their friends, and she spoke up. "Did we...what did we miss?"

"Tell her, Fin," Alex Cabot hissed, an almost empty wine glass in her hand. Her black sweater dress rode up a bit as she took a few steps. "You tell her, or I swear to God…"

"Okay," Fin cut her off, throwing a hand up. "All right, look…" he looked down at Olivia. "We were just talking…"

"Playing _loaded questions," _Munch corrected, narrowing his eyes over his thinly rimmed glasses.

Fin grunted. "Yeah," he coughed. "So anyway, Cabot asked me if I ever wanted to purposely get the two of you benched so I could take the lead on a case."

Elliot hummed once, leaned back on the couch, folded his arms, and said, "Okay, and…?"

Fin cleared his throat. "I said...yes, and that I…"

"Already did it!" Alex shouted. "You asshole! The one case that could have made their careers and mine! You son of a…"

"Hey!" Olivia hissed harshly, in as loud a whisper as she could. "We have sleeping kids upstairs! Keep it the fuck down!"

Casey squinted at her. "We?" Her eyes flashed with something menacing.

Realizing, Olivia shot her head toward Novak. "We. All of us," she made a large circular motion with her finger to indicate the group of them. "We're all here, right? So yeah, we." She tightened her jaw and then looked at Fin. "What case, now?" She wiped her suddenly damp palms on the knees of her black jeans.

Fin took a breath, rubbed his forehead, and yanked hard on the collar of his black button down. "Calvetti," he confessed, looking down at his black shoes for a moment before meeting Elliot's eyes. "I was the one that told Cragen you went to high school with him."

Elliot's nostrils flared as he stiffened and sat upright. "Why would…" he paused and laughed once bitterly. "Never mind, you told us why. That was low. I didn't even fucking know the guy! There were over three hundred kids in my class!"

"I know that," Fin admitted, "I just...look man, I'm not gonna lie, I'm jealous of you." He glanced at Olivia. "For a lot of reasons."

Elliot took a deep breath, his lips pressed together, and as he exhaled, he said, "Fine, it's...fine." He held up a hand and rolled the tension out of his neck. "Anyone find out when the fuck it's supposed to clear up out there?"

"Supposed to snow until three," Munch said, his voice monotonous and flat.

"In the morning?" Olivia asked, eyes wide. She gave a panic-stricken look toward Elliot. "They have to stay until they plow and salt and...that's gonna be…a while," she tried to convey her worry to him.

He closed his eyes almost defeated. He nodded and said, "Yeah, it is." He took another breath and shifted his weight, the discomfort from both the newly formed tension mixing with his built up need from being in close proximity to Olivia.

"Are we still playing?" Casey asked, grinning. She took a long sip of her wine, staring at Elliot, and then licked her lips slowly. "I have a couple of loaded questions I'd like to ask."

"Actually, uh," Elliot began as he started to rise. "I'm exhausted." He checked his watch, feigning shock. "Damn, no wonder! It's after midnight. I'm gonna check on my kids and...Liv, you...you're more than welcome to take the extra bunk in Maureen's room."

Casey raised her glass. "Aw, come on," she chuckled. "You're not gonna leave all of us down here alone, are you?" She giggled and said, "Fin and Alex might kill each other. And, uh, it's getting pretty cold in here. You need to find a way to keep me warm." She took a step toward him.

Olivia shot to her feet and said, "I have a sweatshirt you can borrow," as she got between Casey and Elliot. "In my bag. Help yourself." She plastered on a cheesy smile and used both of her hands to turn Casey around, then pushed her toward the duffle bag in the far corner of the room. She heard Elliot snickering behind her and turned to glare at him.

Elliot whispered, "Never gonna happen, trust me. I'm all yours."

"Damn right you are," Olivia whispered back, turning away from him again. She watched Casey begrudgingly pull a black hoodie over her head, a scowl on her face, and relaxed slightly.

"Okay, uh…" Elliot unconsciously rested his hand on Olivia's hip, his fingertips absently tweaking the belt loop of her jeans. "I guess I'll get some blankets." He patted Olivia's side and said, "You're helping me."

"Uh, try asking," she joked, her arms still crossed.

With an annoyed grunt, Fin said, "He barks orders at you at work, why would he be different now?"

"I do not!" Elliot yelled, pressing his body into Olivia's in an attempt to lunge at Fin. "Besides, she was kidding! What the fuck is your problem, tonight, huh?"

"You know what my problem is!" Fin argued back, standing sharply. He had a short glass of whiskey in his hand, holding it with four fingers as he pointed at Elliot. "You, man! You been my problem for years!"

"Damn it!" Olivia turned to Fin, eyes furious. "I asked you not to yell!" She whipped back around toward Elliot. "If Lizzie wakes up now, we'll never get her back to sleep, and Dickie…"

"Okay," Elliot nodded, biting his lip. "Sorry, you're right, I'm sorry." He dragged a hand down his face and shook his head to try to calm himself down. "Excuse me," he said, and he worked his way past Olivia, breezed by Alex and Munch, and veered left into the den, needing a minute alone.

Olivia sighed and pulled her sweater down again, and then looked toward Fin. "What is going on with you?" She shoved her hands in her pockets, shrugging as she waited for an answer.

Fin snorted and took a gulp of his drink. "Cragen thinks the sun shines out of his ass, ya know? No matter how hard I work to impress him, earn a raise or promotion, or even a fuckin' pat on the damn back…" he scraped his teeth over his lip. "And forget about tryin' to outshine you, Benson, I think Cragen's tryin' to fill the void of you not havin' a father or some shit."

"You think the captain's playing favorites?" Her narrow eyes stared astonished at Fin. "That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard."

"Any cop pulls the same shit the two of you pulled, they're out on their ass," Fin griped. He took another sip of his whiskey. "You two break rules, make up your own fuckin' policies, ignore protocol...then Tucker fuckin' shakes your hands and the mayor throws you a party and the rest of us have to fuckin' wonder where the hell we went wrong!"

Ed Tucker, who until then had been watching the show from a comfortable chair in front of the fireplace, got to his feet and held out both hands. "Tutuola, I am the first one to string them up when they step outta line! How many times a week are they in my office?"

Fin snarled at him, "Then why are they still…"

"Because they're damn good detectives," Tucker nodded firmly. He smoothed a hand down his blue shirt. "Not to mention two of the most dedicated and passionate people I've ever met! They've never let anything come before a case, a perp, or a victim."

Laughing in disbelief, Fin sat back down. "I give up," he said, and he downed the rest of his drink.

Alex spoke up then, her voice a lot softer than it was the last time she said anything. "Fin, be honest with her. It's Christmas Eve. Stop acting like a dick and making excuses for yourself."

Olivia looked at Alex, their eyes catching and communicating, and she winced. "No," she breathed.

"Yeah," Alex said, offering an apologetic shrug and crooked twist of her lips.

Fin stared sadly into Olivia's eyes once she looked at him, but before he could speak, Elliot came back into the room, wiping his mouth with his sweater sleeve, and immediately headed for the counter and poured himself a glass of bourbon.

The room watched in curious awe as he chugged it whole, swished it around in his mouth, swallowed, and poured a second glass. "She kissed me," he spat out, his penetrating gaze aimed at Olivia. He saw the look he was getting in return and said, "Oh, fucking...relax, I was just in there trying to calm the fuck down before I punched someone, she came up behind me, I turned around because I thought it was you...then she shoved her tongue down my throat! I pushed her off of me and came back out here to…" he raised his glass, then poured the amber liquid into his mouth.

She nodded once, and then turned to look at Casey, who stood on an angle, embarrassed and rejected. "Case," she let out a breath. "It's not you…" she looked up, contemplating, and bit her lip as she thought of the best way to say what she had to say. She pulled her lower lip through her teeth and said, "Ya know, if he was single...he might've…"

"Oh," Casey winced. "Oh, my God, he's…" she brought a hand up to her mouth and started to pace back and forth. "I'm so sorry, Elliot, I thought you were divorced, I mean you said you were, and it's been a few months since…"

"I am," Elliot interrupted. He pressed his lips together and moved, slowly, toward Olivia. "It has been, uh, a while since Kathy…" he waved a hand and made a face. But then he grinned, his gaze returning to Olivia, and he took two more steps, closing the gap between them. "And a few months since I started over…" he eyed Tucker, who looked amused, then Fin, who looked sick. He smiled and tilted his head as he leaned in and kissed Olivia sweetly. "With you," he whispered to her.

Casey's face fell, Fin grunted and let out a gruff, "Of fucking course," Munch whistled and shouted, "It's about time," and Alex clapped twice and said, "Merry Christmas, people!"

Elliot laughed and looped his arms around Olivia, pulling her close to him, and nodded. "Merry Christmas," he said, grinning smugly at her, and then he kissed her again, more demanding and less tentative now that their secret was out.

"Lemme guess," Fin whined, looking up at Tucker, "You ain't gonna do shit about that." He pointed to the kissing couple as he sneered.

Tucker shrugged. "There's nothing I can do," he said, "It's not against the law, they're not breaking any NYPD code! Besides, any detective worthy of his badge would have already known! How the fuck didn't you know?"

"I knew," Fin remarked, drinking the last of his whiskey. "Unit policy," he quickly spat in the direction of Elliot and Olivia, breaking them apart. He chuckled at their widened eyes. "That's why you hid this for...what, you said...months?" He laughed again, leaned back, and said, "Months! You know Cragen's gonna toss one of you into the snow because of this. And when he does, maybe he will finally…"

"Fin," Elliot said, cutting him off. He scratched a spot behind his ear and said, as gently as he could, "Man, uh, Cragen knows."

"We had to tell him," Olivia said, biting the inside of her cheek. "We knew what this could cost us if we didn't," she shrugged.

"Liv," Alex started, "Speaking of Cragen, you guys invited him, didn't you?" She eyed her friend for a second. "He didn't...wait, is he mad at you two for…"

"No, no," Olivia screwed up her face and shook her head. "He said he had to stay at the station tonight, since we all had the night off." She smiled, then, and said, "But he's coming tomorrow morning, he has presents for the kids and…"

"How did he react when you told him about you and Elliot?" Alex interjected. "I can't believe that it's just...suddenly okay after all of his warnings and threats."

Casey slapped Olivia in the arm. "That's why I was trying so hard to get into Stabler's pants, I knew...or at least I thought that you couldn't." She hiccuped, the wine finally taking its toll on her.

Olivia rolled her eyes as she laughed. "He blew his top, and then he called Tucker, over there," she jutted a thumb at Ed, who was pouring himself a drink, "He tried to have us transferred, fired, arrested...and then he calmed down and hugged us."

Elliot chuckled. "He knew this was happening," he said. "He saw it coming a mile away, he just wanted to be retired when it hit. We threw him for a loop."

Olivia laughed again. "I'll say," she quipped. Then she looked at Casey. "I'm so sorry, I wanted to tell you, but I didn't know if I could trust you...with the way you've been acting at work…"

"Not just work," Casey breathed out, folding her arms. "I, uh, I haven't exactly been the best friend to you lately." She moved over toward Olivia and said, "Now, I think...you know why." She sniffled and laid out a hand. "I knew how you felt about him, Liv. I let my own feelings get in the way of our friendship and I tried like hell to get him to look at me…" she sniffled again. "The way he looks at you." She took Olivia's hand. "I'm sorry."

Olivia squeezed her fingers, offering an accepting smile, and said, "I know the effects he can have on people, trust me. I don't blame you. Just…"

"I know," Casey chuckled. "You win, he won't have any more, uh, advances from me." She looked at Elliot. "I'm sorry, but...I mean, I did drink half a bottle of wine by myself so…" she shrugged. "I probably wouldn't have done or said half of that shit if I was sober."

There were a few relieved laughs and suddenly the tension dissipated. Elliot kissed Olivia again, and then yawned dramatically. "Christ," he rubbed his eyes and said, "One in the morning and still snowing."

Alex stood up and said, "Maybe we should all, uh, think about how we're gonna…" she twirled a finger around the room. "I haven't pulled an all-nighter since college, and I would like it to stay that way."

There was another round of laughter, and then Elliot spoke. We can still go upstairs and grab those blankets and some pillows. Munch, you can take the guest room, if you want. I mean, with your back you shouldn't be on the floor. The rest of you...think of this like a sleepover." He looked around. "A really awkward sleepover."

After another chorus of laughs, Elliot moved with Olivia toward the stairs, but Fin stood in his way. "Fin, man, not now, could you…"

"Let me help," Fin said, and he nodded at Olivia. "Novak's not the only one who let feelings blur the lines of friendships." He glanced at Olivia. "I'm sorry," he said with a nod, and then he held out a hand to Elliot. "Just remember, you ever hurt her…"

"I won't," Elliot took Fin's hand, shaking it before being pulled into a brotherly hug. "I promised her that, I promised Cragen that, and I promised myself that."

Fin blew out a puff of air as he straightened up. "Now, uh, where are those blankets?"

Elliot laughed, then he kissed Olivia before leading Fin up the stairs to gather the bedding for the snowed-in group.

Olivia walked back to the couch and sat between Alex and Casey. "It feels...so good to have that...out," she said with a relieved breath and a small laugh. "And before you ask...the kids know, so does his mother, and mine…" she paused. "Al, thank you for holding onto that one for me."

Alex hugged her friend and said, "Always," and then shot Casey a look. "At least you know I wouldn't hit on Elliot.

She looked over at the stairs just as Elliot and Fin hit the last step. "Thank God for that," she said, nudging Alex with her shoulder.

Elliot passed out pillows as Fin soles out blankets, and Munch made the brave decision to flatten out on the couch. "I may be Jewish, but I still want to spend Christmas with my family," he said.

And as Fin looked around the room, lit up only by the glowing embers in the fireplace and the lights on the gorgeous Christmas tree, he nodded and smiled. "Me, too," he said, sprawling himself out on the floor in front of the sofa. "Family. That's really... what we are. Which is why...I know we all had our reasons, but...I'm kinda glad all of our secrets are out now. Family...shouldn't have secrets."

Elliot pulled Olivia close, wrapped his legs and arms around her, and then let go with one hand only for a moment to pull a blanket around them. "Amen to that, man," he said, and he kissed Olivia softly.

"Merry Christmas, honey," she whispered to him as she closed her eyes and dropped her head to his chest.

He sighed as he settled them down on the floor. Just as softly, he breathed, "Merry Christmas."

**A/N: Next: Five people are roped into a unique Christmas tradition. It leads to a few very unexpected presents. **


	14. Secret's Out

**A/N: Five people are roped into a unique Christmas tradition. It leads to a few very unexpected presents. **

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and all related plot/characters originally belong to Dick Wolf. This story, words, and dialogue are mine. © TStabler **

The White Elephant wasn't awful. All of the presents were useful and practical, and no one fought over them.

The gingerbread house contest was more fun than expected; Elliot and Olivia won with their incredibly accurate to-scale replica of the Sixteenth Precinct.

The game of Holiday Pictionary was amusing. Munch turned everything into an alien and Elliot's brother Connor simply wrote the word because "I have the artistic ability of a blind octopus."

But this...this tradition that Bernie Stabler had just explained...was not in the usual Yuletide spirit and something that no one outside the family had ever even heard of, really.

Bernie Stabler had asked each guest to write down a secret, a confession, and they were now folding up the red and green slips of paper and tossing them into a glass bowl. She went around the room, collecting them from Elliot and Olivia, Captain Cragen, John Munch, Casey Novak, and two of her other kids.

"What, um," Olivia began, making an anxiously hesitant face at the older woman as she tossed her folded secret into the bowl. "I mean, isn't this something that people usually do on New Year's…"

"No, uh," Elliot cut her off, shaking his head as he sipped his heavily spiked eggnog. "They're not resolutions, they're secrets. Things you've been holding onto for too long, that you don't want to take with you into the next year. Christmas Eve at our house, growing up, was always about letting go of a lot of things so that Christmas Day would be...lighter. Better." He sipped his nog again and sighed. "This is...gonna fucking be awkward, but…" he shrugged. "Tradition."

"This is anonymous, right?" she asked, leaning a bit closer to him so she could whisper.

He chuckled as he swallowed his mouthful of eggnog, nodded at her, and said, "Yeah. No one will know which one's yours." He grinned at her. "Except me," he said with a wink.

Olivia narrowed her eyes at him. "What makes you think you'll know which one's mine?"

"I know everything about you," he whispered to her, something new and dark in his eyes. But then he smirked almost wickedly. "Don't I?"

She didn't know what his expression meant, but she did know he was moving closer to her, he licked his lips, he was going to kiss her and she was going to let him.

"All right!" Bernie Stabler clapped her hands together once, unknowingly breaking her son and Olivia apart and giving them mutual heart-attacks. She chuckled as she swirled the bowl around, shaking up the slips of secrets. She cleared her throat and reached one hand into the wide mouth of the bowl. She grabbed a green slip of paper and unfolded it as she looked around at the faces in the room. Unfolding it slowly, she inhaled deeply and then read it out loud. "I got tired of hearing the complaints, so I've been filling the pot at work with coffee from the cart outside."

Elliot glanced at Munch, knowing the secret was his. He chuckled along with everyone else in the room, silently thanking his mother for letting his friends from work celebrate with them this year. It made him practically forget that it was the first Christmas without Kathy. The first holiday since officially signing divorce papers and moving out of the house he'd shared with his wife and kids for nearly thirteen years.

He looked up, ignoring his mother reading his sister's secret and the fight that ensued, as he thought of his kids, sleeping upstairs. His face fell, landing on Olivia, and he smiled, though she was focused on Bernie and Becky still yelling at each other. He reached out and brushed her hair behind her ear, and when she looked at him, he said, "I don't think I thanked you for letting me stay with you."

"You don't have to thank me," she told him, returning his smile. "You know I'm the only person who could put up with you," she joked with a wink.

He laughed and then sighed, took another swig of his eggnog, and looked back at his mom.

Bernie cleared her throat again, preparing to read another hidden secret. "Let's see," she said, uncurling a slip of green paper. "Oh, now…" she clicked her tongue and looked annoyed, glaring at Connor, her youngest son. "You all aren't taking this seriously," she complained, and then she read in a mocking tone, "When I fart, I blame the dog." She rolled her eyes as the group in the room laughed and Connor guiltily took ownership of the secret.

Elliot dropped his glass to the coffee table as he leaned back, looping his arm around Olivia's shoulders, hoping it was a smooth enough move that she wouldn't notice and hit him. To his surprise and delight, she shifted a bit closer to him. He smirked as his mother pulled a folded red paper out of the bowl.

"Oh, at least one of you is taking this to heart," Bernie declared, and then she read the secret. "Most people in my line of work drink to forget about it, but it's my job that is keeping me sober."

Olivia looked toward her boss, a man who'd become family. Cragen was sitting in a comfy chair, holding a mug of hot chocolate, looking almost reverent now that his secret was out. When he turned, catching Olivia's eyes, they shared a smile and then both gave attention back to Bernie.

Bernie pulled a green piece of paper out of the bowl. She read the secret to herself before reading it out loud, and she stayed solemnly silent for a moment. "Well, um," she began, and she looked around the room. "This is...quite a bit more serious now." She inhaled sharply, and then she read the words, "I'm pregnant."

Elliot's eyes immediately shot to Olivia, but relief flooded him when he saw her stunned and worried expression. "Who…"

"Not me," she whispered to him, "I would have told you that." She bit her lip and said, "We know it's not your mother, and your sister's secret was that she signed your mom up for Christian Singles dot com."

Elliot choked a bit, stifling his laughter, but then let his gaze wander, and he saw everyone else looking around the room, wondering the same thing. His stare finally landed on the only other woman in the room, the only person not concerned with whose secret it was. "Casey," he whispered, his left hand squeezing Olivia's shoulder. He heard her gasp and he opened his mouth to speak, but he was cut off when his mother dug into the bowl and pulled out a curl of green paper. He spoke quickly, "Mom, I think this is getting too…"

Bernie held up a hand. "Elliot, you were all told that these would be read aloud, so…" she blinked twice at her son and then unfolded the secret. She smiled, having a feeling she knew who wrote it, and she read it almost proudly. "I'm in love with my best friend, but even though now that I could, I have no intention of making a move. I know there's no way…" Bernie's face fell, her voice softened. "No way anyone could ever love someone like me."

The silence filling the room was intense. Bernie cleared her throat and said, "Maybe Elliot's right, maybe we need to go back to Pictionary. Why don't we all…"

"Mom," Elliot barked, his heart hammering in his chest, "There's one more secret in there, one you...I think you really need to read." His wide eyes met his mother's worried face, and he said, "Now, please?" He gripped Olivia's shoulder harder and felt his lungs burning in his chest. He knew that the last secret was Olivia's and he prayed to God that he was the friend she was talking about.

Bernie nodded placatingly, reached in, and pulled out the last bit of red paper. "This isn't a secret, not really. I think everyone already knows. I'm in love with my partner. My best friend. My...Liv."

Olivia inhaled softly, her head shooting toward Elliot. "You...sorry, what?"

He laughed, sliding his hand from her shoulder to her hip and pulling her closer. "You said the same thing," he whispered to her. "So that was the only secret we had...the only thing we kept from each other...until now." He searched her eyes, looking for any sign or indication that he was wrong, that it wasn't him she'd been secretly in love with, but when he saw her cheeks turn pink and her eyes shift away from him, he knew.

"Yeah," she whispered back. "You don't have to do this, I get it, you…" she blinked. Turning back to him, she tilted her head. It finally hit her. "You're in love with me?"

He nodded, his lip caught between his teeth. "You're in love with me," he shrugged and he moved closer. "Liv, it's...incredibly easy to fall in love with someone like you. You are the most compassionate, daring, funny…" he swallowed hard. "Beautiful, sexy…" he wasn't even aware that he was moving closer to her until his lips brushed against hers as he spoke. "I love everything about you, I have...for a long time. I guess… used this stupid tradition to finally admit it. Because maybe now we can…"

"Do something about it," she whispered, feeling her mouth move against his. "El?" Her eyes looked deeply into his and she mentally willed him to put her out of her misery by either backing up and forgetting about it or closing in that last little bit and kissing her.

He nodded at her and then pressed his lips to hers, momentarily forgetting that his brother and three of his closest friends, including his boss, were watching it happen. He moaned softly as he pulled back, resting his forehead against hers. "Damn," he breathed, panting, his hand pressing into the small of her back. He chuckled with her, easing some of the tension, and then he asked, "You, uh, you know I'm gonna do that again, don't you?"

Still laughing softly, she nodded, her hands clasped together around his neck. "Maybe it's not such a stupid tradition, after all." She grinned as she met him for another kiss, this one deeper and longer than the first.

Cragen, looking on, smiled as he sipped his cocoa. He turned to Bernie and asked, "How did you know?"

"He's my son," she chuckled. "And I knew that was the only thing she'd never tell him on her own. They needed a little push, Don. They deserve to be happy." She narrowed her eyes at him. "Which is why I hope you won't do anything about this, work-wise?" She raised an eyebrow.

Cragen laughed and said, "Not unless it gets them into trouble, you know that. Why do you think I went along with this little plan of yours?"

Bernie moved closer to him and sat on the arm of his chair. "So, now that their little secret is out, when do you think we can tell them ours?"

Cragen exhaled, his lip curled, and he said, "What are you doing on New Year's Eve, Bern?"

Bernie grinned, and then looked over at her son, still lost in a sweet kiss with the only woman he'd ever truly, deeply, loved. "Merry Christmas," she said to everyone in the room, and she felt that, for the first time in a while, it was.

**A/N: Next: A very cold day leads to a HOT night. **


	15. Icicle Hot

**A/N: A very cold day leads to a HOT night. **

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and all related plot/characters originally belong to Dick Wolf. This story, words, and dialogue are mine. © TStabler **

"Christ," Olivia shivered as she kicked the cabin door closed behind her. She brushed snow off of her shoulders and then rubbed her gloved hands together. "Fucking freezing out there." She looked around and her lips curled into a soft smile. The tree in the corner was small, but adorable. She remembered how excited he had been when they'd decorated it; how the playfulness became romance once the tree was plugged in; how the romance became passion as they lost themselves in a moment, lit up only by the twinkling lights of the tree.

She grinned as she peeled off her scarf and gloves and unzipped her coat. "Can you, uh, light a fire?"

Elliot scoffed as he nodded, pulling his own scarf off and rubbing his reddened face with his hands. "Here," he said, and he moved past her. He chucked a firestarter log into the fireplace, lit a long match, and then tossed it into the pit to set the pile of wood ablaze. He stood up, unbuttoned his wool coat, and looked over at Olivia. "It'll warm up fast," he said, winking at her.

She smiled at him as she pulled her red wool cap off of her head and tried to comb out her waves with her fingers. "Thank God."

He was staring at her, he knew it, and as he pulled off his coat and gloves, he moved closer to her. "Thanks for coming out here with me." He tossed his stuff onto a nearby chair and took another step closer to her. He let his hands move up and down Olivia's arms, running over her pink knit sweater.

"You were coming out here with it without me," she said with a slight shrug. She brushed the back of her cold hand across his cheek. "You know I wanted to spend Christmas with you, so where else would I be?"

He grinned smugly at her. "You put up with Kathy's bullshit for me, tonight, and you dodged some pretty tough questions from her parents. You, uh, you must really love me, huh?" His lips brushed against hers as he spoke.

She shivered again, but now, it wasn't because of the temperature. She nodded, swallowed hard, and said, "I know how important it was for you to be with the kids tonight, and tomorrow. And, hey, by the time we leave, ya know, we'll probably be able to take them home with…"

"That'd be amazing," he said, cutting her off, "But...right now…" he tugged on her collar a bit and lifted her chin with two of his fingers. "Why don't we just enjoy what's left of Christmas Eve?" He tapped her on the nose and winked again, and then backed up toward the couch. He sat, ran a hand down his green turtleneck, and patted the seat beside him.

She sighed, knowing that although his divorce had been quick and painless, the joint custody was killing him. Days usually had to be switched around because of work; nights that he had to give up for something Kathy deemed more important. Their night, though spent with the kids, was also spent with Kathy and Elliot's ex-in-laws, which made for awkward and uncomfortable moments.

She looked at him, took in his tired eyes and stubbled chin, and she knew that it was up to her to make his Christmas Eve end in a much happier note. She watched him pat the seat again, more insistently, and something within her snapped.

She rolled her eyes but obeyed, moving slowly toward him. "You were right," she said, meeting his eyes. She ignored the space beside him and looped one of her legs over his waist, straddling him. "It got warm in here. Very warm." She watched his eyes flicker in the firelight and she bit her lip as she began to pull her pink sweater over her head.

"Good Lord," he gasped, his hands flying to her body. His fingertips licked at her skin, ran over the curves of her waist, up her tight stomach, before each one landed on a breast. He chuckled softly as he squeezed and whispered, "Getting hotter by the minute." He let his thumbs graze over her nipples; he felt them bead under his touch.

She bucked her hips, making him moan, and she hunched over, gripping his head in her hands and pressing her forehead against his. Saying nothing, she rocked into him again and brushed her lips over his.

"Baby," he whispered. His hands reached around her body and he deftly unhooked her bra. He took a shaky breath as it fell away from her shoulders, and he kissed her hard, bucking upward. He moved his hands down her back and grabbed at her jeans, pulling and yanking at the denim until she took the hint.

With a soft laugh, she dragged her nails over his head, scraping against his scalp, and lifted her hips enough for him to unzip and pull down her jeans.

Greedily, he took her underwear with them, pushed them down her legs, and toed them off the rest of the way. He laughed when she kicked off her shoes and he gasped when she arched her back, bending to pull off her socks.

"I'm feeling horribly underdressed," she teased, and she worked her hands under his shirt to push it up over his head.

He growled and flipped her over, and when her back hit the leather of the cushion, he raised on his knees and unbuttoned his jeans, leaned over, and balanced on one hand using the other to shove down his pants. He kicked them off and eased down onto Olivia. "This what you wanted?" He looked down at her, deeply into her eyes, as he slowly teased her entrance with the tip of his cock.

"El," she raised her hips, trying to get him to thrust, needing more of him. "This is what I always want." She scratched her nails down his back, making him seethe and moan. "You, El. I want you. I love you."

"Oh, baby," he kissed her slowly as he pushed further into her, filling her. "I love you, too." He pushed in deeper still, and when his hips hit hers, his eyes rolled back. "So fucking much."

Her head dropped back and her fingers curled, her nails breaking the skin of his back, "Oh, God, Elliot," she whimpered, feeling him hit parts of her he hadn't yet, the first and only to love her so completely in so many ways.

He kissed her softly as he started to move, slow and deep, whispering her name over and over again like a prayer. He reached one hand down and grabbed her left knee, pulling gently to wrap her leg around his back. Immediately, they let out simultaneous cries, curses, and he moved faster.

She scratched deep red patterns in his back, arching her back to meet his eager and consuming thrusts, and she forced her eyes to open and look into his. Her breath quickened and the expression on his face, the emotion in his eyes, made her entire body burn. "El, baby," she groaned, her voice breaking and throaty, "God, I love…"

She didn't finish telling him, the heat engulfed her as her body tensed and quaked, and her nails dug deeper into his back.

Feeling her tighten and pulsate around him was his undoing. He thrust through her clenching twice more before slamming into her, stilling, and grunting as he came.

Their bodies melded together as he rolled them over, each of them twitched and convulsed, moaned and shook, and finally kissed frantically as they reminded each other how much they loved, wanted, needed each other.

When they calmed down, there was silence. Stillness.

She could feel his heartbeat as she lay pressed against him. Her head rose and fell with his chest as he inhaled and exhaled. Her fingers traced abstract patterns on his stomach as her eyes closed and she whispered, "Merry Christmas."

He chuckled softly, kissed the crown of her head, and twirled his fingers in her hair. "Merry Christmas, baby," he said softly. And as his eyes focused on the small, sparkling Christmas tree, he smiled. "Hey, Liv?"

"Hmm?" Her voice was soft, her body limp.

"I love you," he said, dragging one hand down to clutch hers. He linked their fingers and shifted, feeling himself twitching to life inside of her again. He heard her moan and he chuckled victoriously. "I love you," he repeated, kissing her head once more.

She looked up at him, a drugged and hazy look in her eyes, and she smiled brightly at him. "I love you, too, El." She dropped a soft kiss to his chest and nuzzled closer to him, wrapping herself tighter around him.

What had started out as a frigid Christmas Eve, both because of the icy weather and the cold shoulder he'd been given by Kathy's parents throughout dinner, had turned into one of the hottest nights he could ever remember. As he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, he promised himself that every night, for the rest of his life, would be just like this.

**A/N: Next: A Christmas Day that is truly memorable, for more than one reason. **


	16. An End and A Beginning

**A/N:A Christmas Day that is truly memorable, for more than one reason. **

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and all related plot/characters originally belong to Dick Wolf. This story, words, and dialogue are mine. © TStabler **

"It's crooked," Olivia said, grinning playfully as she watched Elliot fussing with the stockings on the fireplace. She chuckled when he turned to her, annoyed, and she tugged on the sleeves of her bright red sweater dress. "I'm kidding, it's fine," she waved a hand at him. She winked and then asked, "Is there anything you need me to do? You told me to be here at four, I assumed it because you needed help."

Elliot shook his head as he stepped over to her. "No, uh, everything's done, I just...didn't want to be alone when she…"

"Elliot," Kathy's voice broke into his words, and as she came down the stairs with two bags in her hands, she spotted the woman he was talking to and her demeanor changed. She plastered on a smile, sauntered over to Elliot and dropped her bags, then draped her arms around his neck. "I don't have to go," she said to him. "Tell me to stay." Suddenly her eyes welled up and her lower lip trembled. "Please," she whispered.

Elliot scraped his teeth over his lip and shook his head as he backed away from her, pulling her arms off of him. "Go," he said, and he checked his watch. "Before people get here." He gestured toward the front door and licked his lips as he shook his head and walked fast into the kitchen.

Olivia narrowed her eyes as he gaze followed him, but she snapped her focus back to Kathy. "You're walking out on him," she surmised, "Leaving him and the kids, on Christmas?"

"Don't start in on me," Kathy warned, "I wanted to wait until after New Year's…" she rubbed her lips together and gave a dark chuckle. "No, he, uh...he has a resolution he needs to make and he made it perfectly clear that I am to be...out of the picture, far far away, when he makes it. Last night, he…" she picked her bags back up and sighed. "He made it perfectly clear that I was no longer welcome in this house." She turned and sniffled, unshed tears finally falling. "Lord knows, I haven't been welcome in his bed in…" she eyed Olivia up and down. "Three years."

"What did you do?" Olivia asked softly, her arms crossing over her chest.

"Oh, right away, it's something I did!" Kathy yelled. She shot her eyes to the ceiling, cringed, and then turned back to Olivia and lowered her voice. "He hasn't been home for more than six hours at a time in years, and then you come along and that whittles down to four. The second he met you, it's like I didn't even exist anymore, and his world suddenly revolves around you! We should have Liv over for dinner, maybe Liv would like to come to the movies with us, I think I'm just gonna take Liv to the gala this year, I'm taking the kids to Liv's for the night!"

Olivia's eyes widened and she smiled incredulously. "If I would have known it bothered you, I wouldn't have…"

"Of course it bothered me!" Kathy barked, laughing in spite of the situation. She shrugged and said, "Makes me wonder what else the two of you were doing."

"Don't be ridiculous," Olivia snapped in a whisper, mindful of Elliot in the next room and the kids upstairs. "He is an incredibly moral man, dedicated to his family, to _your _family! He wouldn't throw his entire life away…" she shrugged. "For me," she almost whispered. "Never. Not once. Whatever you're thinking, nothing happened with…"

"No, I know that," Kathy nodded, "But I know he wants it to, and I know…" she took a deep breath. "I know that he's more in love with you than he has ever been or could ever be with me, and that's why…" she closed her eyes. "I let myself do what he tried like hell to keep from doing."

Olivia's eyes closed. "Damn it, Kathy," she hissed, shaking her head. She brought one hand up to her forehead, rubbed, and said, "On Christmas?"

Kathy swallowed hard and moved toward the door. "If I go now, then everyone will have a...Merry Christmas." She looked toward Elliot who appeared behind Olivia. "I'll call."

"Don't bother," he spat back at her. He watched her open the door and walk out, and then he let out a loud and heavy breath. "Jesus," he huffed, and he pulled on Olivia's sleeve, bringing her toward him. "I needed you here for this."

"How could she…" she started, but she stopped when she noticed that his hand had moved down her sleeve to link with hers. She looked at their hands, then up at him. "She, uh...she said that you…"

"I heard her," he interrupted. Then he smiled at her. "Maybe my, um, maybe we'll talk about that later." He squeezed her hand and said, "Right now, I just...need you." He shrugged and pulled on her hand again.

She sighed as she hugged him tightly, the most physically intimate contact they'd shared, and she was about to ask him a question but she changed her mind. "I'm here. I'm right here."

He nodded into her neck, and when he took a breath he moaned. Her honeysuckle shampoo and gardenia perfume filled his lungs and his heart. "Liv, I…" His words were interrupted when the doorbell rang, and he glumly pulled away from her to answer the door.

She watched him go, a million thoughts racing through her head. She combed her hair back with her fingers but her waves fell right back into place, her bangs into her eyes, and she cleared her throat when her boss stepped into the room, with two of her colleagues right behind him.

"Where?" Cragen asked, holding up a stack of presents.

"Oh," Olivia said, smiling, "I'll take them." She grabbed the gifts and carried them over to the Christmas tree.

Elliot pushed you his sleeves as he watched her, the way she bent to place the presents perfectly in piles for each person, the way her knee-high boots made her legs look longer and the way her dress cling to her curves.

"Stop staring," Munch said, slapping him in the arm.

Elliot chuckled, but his eyes never left Olivia. "Can't help it," he said with a smile. He turned, then, and shook the man's hand. "Nice to see you, man. I know you don't do parties."

Munch peered at him over his glasses and said, "This isn't a party, this is family." He winked and then said, "Where's the food?"

With a laugh, Elliot pointed to an elaborately decorated table, a spread of hors d'oeuvres and snacks laid out on green and red platters, silver plates and cups stacked for the guests. "Help yourself," he said. He looked over at the stairs when he heard his kids coming down them, and he moved over to hug each one. He kissed his oldest daughter on the forehead and said, "Remember what I told you."

"Everything is going to be okay," the twelve year old nodded. She skipped over to the snacks, her red velvet dress hopping along with her.

Within an hour, the house was filled with people and music and laughter, but Elliot noticed one person didn't seem to be enjoying any of it. He walked toward her, his hands in his pockets, and he stepped up next to her and stared out the window. "What's so interesting out there?"

She hummed. "Just waiting for Kathy to come home." She raised and lowered her eyebrows once. "I'll leave as soon as she pulls up, so you won't have to…"

"She's not coming back," he interrupted.

"Of course, she is," she told him and rolled her eyes. "She wouldn't really leave you, especially not on Christmas. She's probably waiting for you to call her and beg her to come home." She bit her lip. "I...I don't want to be here when that happens."

"That's not gonna happen," he said as he wrapped an arm around her waist. He couldn't help noticing how beautiful she looked, the way the blinking lights made her glow, the way each twinkling bulb bounced off of her tan skin and bathed her in illumination. "What she said to you...before she left…"

"She's not the first person to accuse us of sleeping together," she said with a scoff. "I'm used to it, I just…" she shrugged and finally turned to look at him. "I lost second dates, you lost...your whole life. I never wanted that, you have to…"

He stopped her by lifting one finger and pressing it against her lips. He stared into her eyes as he slowly shook his head. "No, that...that's not…" he licked his lips and moved closer to her. "She wasn't my whole life. Not...anymore. Not the way she should've been. I meant, when she told you that I was in love with you."

"Oh," Olivia laughed sadly and looked down at her feet. "Yeah, well, we do spend a lot of time together. I can see why she would think…"

"She was right," he admitted. He reached for her hand as she looked back at him. He moved slowly, and he knew that it wasn't the best time, that people were watching who shouldn't see this happening. "She wasn't just assuming or making excuses for her affair, she was...telling you why I let her leave. Why I didn't fight harder to convince her we could work things out."

She paled and squeezed his hand. "What?"

"Look around," he laughed. "Those stockings on the fireplace? You were at the store with us when we had them made, there's one there with your name on it." He turned her chin gently, aiming her face at the beautiful tree. "You helped me and the kids decorate the tree. You put the star on top." He tugged her toward him. "You helped me buy and wrap presents. You helped me cook all that food, and Kathy...wasn't even in the same city as us."

She shook her head, not fully willing to believe this was happening. "Okay, so I helped you…"

"Not just today," he cut her off again. "You've been the one I've run to with every problem, the one I have shared every single happy moment with, the one who has watched me lose my mind and my temper...the one who fixed it all with a burger and a beer for the past three fucking years and, fuck, Liv...I'm in love with you, and I'm not sorry about it."

Her eyes crinkled, her brows knitted, and she asked him, "Is that why you got so mad at every date I've had in the last…"

"Damn right it is," he bit his lip and nodded, slightly embarrassed. "I was jealous, and way more protective than I had a right to be, and I am not gonna lie and tell you I was just being a good partner, and I'm not gonna apologize for trying like hell to keep you from making a huge mistake with someone else when you couldn't see what was right in front of you."

"Couldn't see what…" she spouted, and she moved closer and dropped her voice. Her gaze was harsh but her hold on him was soft. "I saw it. Believe me. You don't think...fuck, I've been feeling like shit for the last couple of years because I let myself fall for the one person in the world I couldn't have! The one person who I absolutely should not be fucking in love with!"

"Me?" His voice was hopeful and he wrapped his free hand around hers and linked their fingers together tightly. "We've been fighting this for too fucking long, and now...we don't have to. I'm not just saying this because Kathy's been gone for two hours and I'm lonely, okay? I know what it sounds like, but...last night, I told her I had every intention of doing this with you. I told her how I felt about you, and I told her...it's why I wasn't more upset when she told me she slept with some guy at work, why I didn't blow a gasket and hunt him down."

"Why now?" She asked the question in a whisper. "Why today?"

He smiled and let go of one of her hands to brush her hair back. "I know you hate Christmas and you've only been going through the motions the last three years to keep me and the kids happy...I hoped, uh, that this would make you realize that Christmas is actually…"

"The best fucking day ever," she said on a dry laugh. She felt herself choking up and she looked to her left. "Cragen is staring at…"

"I know, and I don't care," he said, and he swallowed the lump in his throat. "This is...this is gonna change everything, but I think...I think it's gonna be amazing." He moved slightly closer and he whispered, almost too softly, "Can I kiss you, Liv?"

Her heart stopped, her lungs burned, and she didn't trust her voice so all she could do was nod fast and stare into his eyes.

He moved again, sliding his hands up to her face, brushing her soft skin with the pads of his thumbs. "I'm scared, too," he whispered, and his entire body shook as he drew nearer to her.

His kids stopped running around as they each noticed what was happening, and they slowly walked over to the corner where their father and Olivia were staring at each other.

Cragen looked around suddenly, realizing he was surrounded by children, and he looked in all directions to see what they were all so intently staring at, and then he gasped. "Oh, no," he breathed, his eyes now frozen open watching what was inevitably going to happen.

Not realizing he had an audience, Elliot tried to stop trembling but couldn't, and he laughed nervously as he inches closer to Olivia. "Don't...don't hit me," he teased, and then just before his lips touched hers, he whispered, "I love you."

She moaned softly when he finally kissed her, gasping just enough to allow him to make more of the kiss than intended. Her hands flew to the back of his head, and as they kissed, three years of moments and memories flipped like scrapbook pages in her mind. Cups of coffee at work, late movies and take out on her couch, nights they'd spent in the cribs and mornings they woke up cuddling, the million ways they'd already said _I love you _in actions and different words and it all snapped her back to the moment and made her pull him closer and press herself into him.

He pulled back only when he couldn't breathe anymore, took a shallow breath, and moved in again. This kiss was deeper, more emotional, and he realized that tears were hitting his fingers. She was crying. He pulled back and looked at her, searching her red eyes. "What? What's wrong?" He panted, terrified he'd made a monumental mistake.

She shook her head. "Nothing, I just...I realized how much I love you, how much I've loved you for a lot longer than either of us…"

"We didn't mean to," he laughed, and he brushed his nose against hers. "But I'm happier now than I ever have been, and I was just given the most incredible Christmas present ever."

A throat to the side of them cleared, it didn't sound happy, and as they both turned slowly toward it, they saw Cragen with crossed arms standing between the smiling and excited faces of Elliot's kids. "Hey, guys," Elliot spoke as gently as he could with a soft smile on his face.

"Daddy," Kathleen, the middle child started, "Were you and Liv…"

"Kissing?" Dickie and Lizzie, the seven year old twins, finished together.

Olivia bit her lip as Elliot nodded. She looked toward Cragen and her heart sank. Something she wanted so badly was about to cost her something she'd worked for her whole life. "Captain, I…"

"Elliot," Cragen started, ignoring Olivia's voice, "I thought we had an understanding."

Elliot looked at Olivia, seeing the fear on her face, and he smiled at her and kissed her softly. "Yeah, Cap," he said, turning back to Cragen. "We did. I'm standing by it."

Cragen's brow furrowed. "So things are…"

"Yeah," Elliot said before Cragen could finish this question. "I promised you, and now... I'm promising her. This is...this is it."

Elliot's kids clapped and smiled brightly as they watched their father and Olivia kiss again, and Cragen let his face slowly break into a smile.

He knew this was happening and he'd made Elliot promise him that if anything ever happened with him and Olivia, it would be permanent. He ushered the kids toward the tree and left Elliot and Olivia alone to bask in their Christmas miracle for a little while longer.

**A/N: final one-shot coming tomorrow morning! Merry Christmas Eve to all who observe! Happy Tuesday to everyone else. Much love! **


	17. Six Christmases

**A/N:A Christmas Day, over time, becomes less about store bought presents, and more about life's unexpected gifts. **

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and all related plot/characters originally belong to Dick Wolf. This story, words, and dialogue are mine. © TStabler **

_December 25th, year one _

"Thank you," Olivia whispered as she pulled her coat on and reached for the doorknob. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Elliot screwed up his face at her. "You're...you're leaving?" He slapped a hand over hers, keeping her from turning the knob.

Olivia sighed, dragged her free hand through her hair, and said, "It was sweet of you to invite me, but maybe you should have cleared it with your wife."

"What…" he turned back to look into the living room, his wife, Kathy, was on the couch with his kids surrounding the tree. "What did she say to you?"

"Nothing, I can just tell she…" she was stopped by the severe look on his face and intense fire in his eyes. The blaze that was making things in her life far more complicated than they needed to be. She let out another breath and said, "She said... that you haven't known me long enough to spend Christmas with me, and, uh, it should just be family." She looked down at her black snow boots and tried to smile. "I know you were trying to be nice, make me feel welcome, but…"

"Stay, she's just…" he took a harsh breath. "She is incredibly insecure." He sent a glare in Kathy's direction. "And rude." His eyes traveled back to Olivia. "Stay," he said softly, his one hand still stopping her from leaving, the other gently sliding up her other arm.

She shivered at his touch, closed her eyes, and shook her head. "I should...go see my mother." She pulled his hand off of hers, threw open the door, and left the house, running out into the snow.

Elliot watched her leave, his heart jackhammering in his chest. He swore to himself he'd wait until the kids went to sleep to talk to Kathy. He didn't want them seeing or hearing them fight.

_December 25th, year two_

Olivia smiled as her taxi pulled up to the blue house. "Wait here," she said to the driver, "I won't be long." She opened the door, slid out of her seat, and wrapped her hands around six large gift bags. She walked up to the door, intending to knock, but it swung open before she could.

"Hey!" Elliot chirped brightly, running down the path to her. "What is...what's all this?" he chuckled, taking the bags from her.

"Gifts," she shrugged. "For you and the kids. Um, something for Kathy." She swatted the hair out of her eyes with her gloved hand and said, "Not that she's gonna like anything I give her."

He laughed and kissed her forehead. "You didn't have to do all this," he told her. "But, um, you do have your fair share of gifts under the tree, so," he winked at her.

"You didn't need to get me anything," she said as she tilted her head. "Bring them to work with you, I'll open them in the morning. You, uh...tell the kids I love them, okay?"

His eyes widened as he realized she was walking away. "You're not staying?"

She shot him a crooked look and laughed. "Of course, I'm not." She shook her head and said, "You know why I can't. I'll be at my mom's. See you…"

"Liv!" He called to her before she reached the taxi, and when she turned around he gave her a desperate shrug, stretching out his arms and making the bags of gifts sway in the winter wind. "Come on," he pleaded softly.

"I'm not gonna make Christmas awkward," she said, biting her lip. "Besides, I should...I should be with my mom." Her lips curled into an apologetic half-smile, her eyes telling him that she'd love to stay with him. "Merry Christmas, El," she said, her voice breaking. She got into the cab before he could see her cry.

"Shit," she hissed to herself as the taxi started to pull away from the curb. She'd realized just how much trouble she was in, and how deeply she had fallen in love with her partner.

_December 25th, year three_

"You don't have an excuse this year," Elliot said with a smug grin. He folded his arms and winked at Olivia.

She chuckled and let one arm fold over her waist as the other dragged through her wavy hair. "You really invited my mother here for Christmas," she whispered, looking deeply into his eyes. "What did Kathy have to…"

"Kathy didn't know until she got here," he told her, smirking. "See, she always says Christmas is about family, and you…" he dropped his hands to her shoulders and held her gaze. "You are my family. You and your mom." He leaned into her and kissed her cheek, and whispered, "You're staying this time, and I really don't give a fuck if Kathy likes it or not. As of this morning, it's not really her business who comes into this house anymore, anyway."

Olivia laughed and shook her head at him. "You are a stubborn son of a bitch," she told him.

"I am," he said to her, sliding a hand down her arm until his fingers wrapped around hers. "When it comes to getting what I want, I am incredibly fucking stubborn." He shot her a smoky look and dropped her hand, hoping she understood what he was trying to tell her.

She swallowed hard and folded her arms. "Look, what happened last night…"

"Changed everything," he scratched out, and the. He cleared his throat. "Why...why do you think I needed you here with me today? I didn't want you out of my sight, because I know if you're alone long enough, you'll overthink it, stop it...regret it...run." He lowered his brows slightly and his eyes darkened. "I'm not letting that fucking happen. Not when...this morning, I, uh...got what I wanted for Christmas." He gulped, his nerves getting the best of him. "What I think we both wanted."

"What are you…" he stopped, squinting at him, realizing the deeper meaning behind his words.

He kissed her cheek again, and moved fast towards the kitchen to finish making dinner, knowing she was watching him and trying to stop shaking.

_December 25th, year four_

Olivia handed Lizzie another beautifully wrapped present, smiling wildly. She watched as the seven-year-old tore off the paper, revealing a thick book.

The girl ran her fingers over the gold embossed leather cover. "The original Grimm fairy tales," she breathed, her eyes wide and her face bright. She looked up at Olivia and said, "Thank you!"

Olivia kissed the girl's forehead. "You're very welcome, sweetheart." She turned to Dickie and tapped on a big box beside him. "Your turn, spud!" she chuckled as she ruffled his hair.

Elliot, sitting beside Olivia with his left arm looped around her, watched his son open his gift with a warm smile on his face. He laughed when the young boy screamed in excitement as he unwrapped his new pinball machine. His fingers twirled in the curls of Olivia's hair, and he leaned over and kissed her temple as his eyes slid shut. "Merry Christmas, baby," he whispered into her ear.

She turned to look at him, the reflection of the tree and lights in his eyes, and she dropped her head forward to his. "Merry Christmas," she returned. She heard her mother talking to his, their happy voices carrying in from the kitchen where they were cooking and baking like oldest friends, and she very softly said, "I don't think I've ever been this happy."

"Oh, honey," he chuckled, "You ain't seen nothing yet." He winked, kissed her again, and pulled her closer to him as he turned his attention back to Kathleen and Maureen, opening their gifts.

_December 25th, year five_

"Honey," Elliot's soft voice broke into her thoughts, tearing her eyes away from the photo in her hands. "Baby, the kids are setting the table, and…"

"I know," she sniffled, her index finger running lightly over her mother's face under the glass. "I miss her," she breathed, trying to stop herself from crying.

Elliot's eyes closed, grieving with her as he kissed her forehead and brushed the back of her head soothingly. "I know, kitten," he whispered back. "I'm so sorry." He looked down at her and tried to smile. "We had a few great years with…"

"Because of you," she interrupted, sniffling again. "If you hadn't been so fucking determined to get me to…" her voice cracked and she shook her head, her lower lip trembling. She breathed deeply and said, "You know she only tried to stay sober for us, for the kids, and she never would have…" she lowered her voice and dropped her eyes, her face tensing with refusal to cry. "Why?" she huffed. "What drove her back to the bottle and why the hell did it have to happen two weeks before Christmas?"

"I don't know, baby," he told her gently. He curled his hand under her chin and brought her face up to meet his. "She loved you so much," he told her on a sigh. "She loved the kids, and she…" he held back a son as he splayed his other hand over her stomach. "She would have really loved this one." He kissed her lips softly and said, "She's our angel now, kitten. She'd want us to go out there and celebrate this little miracle of ours, and she definitely wouldn't want us to think about questions we don't have any answers to. Not today. Not on Christmas."

Olivia inhales sharply, letting her breath out on a quiver and she nodded. "You're right. You're...absolutely right." She kissed him and as her hand dragged down his face she squinted. "Do you think…" she paused and bit her lip. "Do you think we should...I mean, obviously I have to tell Cragen I'm pregnant, but should we…"

"Baby," he grinned, "When you told me this morning...God, it was the most amazing Christmas present I've ever been given. It's only fair that we give one just as amazing to Cragen, tomorrow morning, isn't it?"

She laughed at the way his eyebrows wagged, and she shook her head at his excitement and genuine happiness. She followed him out of the den and into the dining room, taking time to look at every single face around the table. Elliot's mom, his brothers and sister, their spouses and children, and each of her stepchildren. She took a breath and tried to remember when her entire world shifted, how she'd managed to keep a relationship, engagement, wedding, and now a pregnancy a secret from everyone except her family for so long.

"Mom?" Maureen called, tilting her head at Olivia.

Olivia looked at the eleven year old, smiled, and said, "What pumpkin?"

Maureen beamed brightly at her stepmother and as she sat down at the table she said, "Merry Christmas."

_December 25th, year six_

Elliot stood by the fireplace, the heat hitting his back, as he stared at Olivia. She was in the middle of the room, wearing a Christmas sweater identical to his and making silly faces at the baby boy in her arms as she danced with him.

"Merry Christmas," a voice from his left said, resting a hand on his shoulder.

Elliot turned at the touch, then smiled. "Same to you, Cap," he said, and then he turned back to see all of his kids now dancing to the loud music, each of them making exaggerated happy faces at the baby. He laughed and absently slapped one hand over his heart.

"You have...an absolutely beautiful family," Cragen told him. "And I'm sorry I've made you feel wrong for it, this past year." He looked from Elliot to Olivia, his lips curving at the sight of her with her son. "You have to understand...it all came as a shock to me, and I had to get used to the idea of the two of you being together at the same moment you tell me she's having a baby."

Elliot's smile faded and he turned slowly toward Cragen again. "Didn't give you the right to treat us like shit for the last eleven months." He crosses his arms and narrowed his eyes. "After her mother died, you were the only parent she had left. She needed you! We all needed you."

Cragen flinched at Elliot's anger. He sighed and nodded. "I know, I realize that, but... I had a lot thrown at me at once and I didn't know how to handle being so excited and happy, pissed off and scared at the same time."

"I get that, believe me," Elliot said to him, "But after you got the hell over it you didn't even…" he took a breath, stopping himself. "Forget it, it's Christmas and this is the one day a year I refuse to be anything but happy."

"Elliot," Cragen prodded softly. He pointed toward Olivia, the baby, and he asked almost timidly, "Introduce me?"

With a somewhat relieved smile, Elliot nodded and led Cragen over to his dancing family.

Cragen waved a finger around and chuckled. "You're all wearing the same sweater, that's…" he looked at Olivia and his smile widened. "That's adorable. Hi, Liv."

"Merry Christmas, Cap," she half-whispered, smiling but sending a worried glance at Elliot. She watched him nod once at her and then looked back toward Cragen. "It's...God, it's good to see you." Her voice wavered with emotion and she shifted the baby in her arms.

"Who is this bouncing baby boy?" Cragen wiggles a finger against the baby's hand, giving him a goofy smile.

Olivia laughed at the display, took a breath, and said, "This is Eli," and then she glanced toward Elliot. "Elliot Benson Stabler."

Elliot moves to her fast, wrapping his arms around her from behind her, and he kissed her cheek. "Our son," he said in a tone that seemed to say he couldn't really believe it, yet. The amazement hanging on those two words rang loudly.

Cragen laughed when Eli wrapped his whole hand around his single large finger. "He's...Jesus, he's absolutely beautiful. He looks just like you, but he has…"

"Elliot's eyes," Olivia grinned and leaned back into her husband.

Cragen cleared his throat and straightened up, but let Eli continue squeezing his finger. "I know I made you feel like you couldn't bring him to the station, but you know...anytime you want to, or need to…" he cleared his throat. "I'm so sorry, I've been so hard on you." He looked up at Elliot. "Both of you."

"Hey," Elliot said, there was a hint of resentment in his eyes. "The last five months at home have been the happiest of my life, so being miserable at work was a lot more tolerable than you think."

"El," Olivia snapped at him, shaking her head. "Not today." She kissed him and then moved Eli to rest on her other arm.

Cragen cleared his throat again. "I know Munch has spent a lot of time with the little guy, and Tucker told me you guys go bowling with him on Sundays?"

Elliot nodded, his lip caught between his teeth. "Speaking of Eddie," he lifted the baby out of Olivia's arms and into his, and he kissed little cheek before saying, "He's here, so I'm gonna take the kids to say hello." He eyed Cragen for a moment, then kissed Olivia, and then led his kids toward the man who'd just walked into the house.

Olivia folded her arms around herself and shrugged. "Sorry about him, he...he knows how to hold a good grudge."

"I'm sorry," Cragen said again. He tilted his head and held out his arms. "I'm so...so sorry." He hugged her and though he didn't expect her to hug him back, he let out a heavy breath when she did. "I missed so much already...because I was angry. I don't want to miss anything else."

Olivia caught Elliot's eyes as she rested her head on Cragen's shoulder and she blew him a kiss and mouthed, "Thank you."

Elliot winked at her and made baby Eli wave to her, and as he watched his wife get lost in a conversation with the man who'd been the only father she'd ever known, he smiled.

"We certainly made sure Mommy had a Merry Christmas," he said out loud, knowing Eli couldn't even understand him. He bounced his son in his arms and started singing along with the song playing in the room. A slow smile spread across his face as he realized exactly how he could make New Year's Eve even merrier.

**A/N: MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE **


End file.
